Riolozhikaik
by xSpacePrincess
Summary: Illogical; contradicting or disregarding the principles of logic; without logic; senseless. Can one find true love and happiness in something that might be considered illogical? Meet Winnifred Kirk, the twin sister of James Kirk. Follow her and her best friend Riley Byrn, as they travel through space and stumble across love. Spock/OC (feat. Kirk/OC). Rated M for future content.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note:**_ _I've always been a bit wary of posting my fanfictions anywhere, honestly. Usually I just write them and share them with my friend - especially if it includes an original character. Mostly because I'm always afraid it's just overused or whatever. But you know what? I think I've gotten to the point where I'm okay with it being overused. And I've made a few videos for this fic and I had one or two people ask to read it. I don't know if you'll like it, but what's the harm in actually putting it out there? So, without further ado, here is my Spock/OC (feat. Kirk/OC) fic._

 _xoxo_

 **January 4th, 2233**

 _"- repeat: evacuate ship and get to designated shuttles now!"_ A voice sounded throughout the ship. People were scrambling all over, the ship falling to pieces around them. There wasn't much time left, as anyone could see.

"That's George's voice... what's happening?" A young blonde woman was being wheeled out of the medical bay. She was very pregnant and very distraught.

"We'll deliver in the shuttle," one of the nurses who surrounded her said to the others, ignoring the expecting mother's question, "go!" They had to move quickly, knowing that at any moment she'd be giving birth.

At the sound of her communicator, Winona Kirk flipped it open. "George!"

"You're okay, thank god," George spoke, "I have medical shuttle 37 standing by, get to it now. Can you do that?"

"Yes," Winona replied, being wheeled quickly through all of the chaos.

"Everything's going to be okay, do exactly as I say. Shuttle 37." He was trying to keep her calm; trying to reassure her that everything was going to be alright even when it clearly wasn't. That was what he did best. He always reassured his wife, even when things looked the bleakest.

"George, they're coming. The babies. They're coming now," she spoke into her communicator, holding onto her stomach. There wasn't much time left, and she wanted her husband there with her.

"I'm on my way." Winona smiled, a breath of relief. He was going to be there. Everything would be okay. She could do it if he was there with her. She wasn't as afraid if he was there with her.

The nurses were almost sprinting as Winona cried out in pain as a contraction hit her. She was being reassured just to keep breathing. It was going to be okay. She was going to be fine, and the babies were as well. Thankfully, she couldn't see the unsure look on the nurse's face as he turned and wheeled her towards the shuttle.

When they got to the shuttle, the nurses moved quickly, getting her out of the wheelchair and onto the bio-bed. She screamed out as another contraction hit.

"Wait, we can't go yet," Winona cried out as the shuttle prepared to take off. They couldn't go without George! "Please stop." Her voice was weak, body ravaged with contractions, and she could do very little to actually stop the shuttle.

"George," she finally spoke through her communicator, "the shuttle's leaving, where are you?" She sounded as calm as she could, but there was a subtle panic hidden under her words.

"Sweetheart, listen to me." A look of realization hit her. She knew that tone. His voice was soft and he spoke to her like he would when he couldn't make it home because work was keeping him late. "I'm not going to be there."

"No," she whispered, horrified and in pain.

"This is the only way you'll survive."

"Are you still on the ship? You have to be here!" She cried softly.

"The shuttles will never make it if I don't fight them off."

"George," Winona sobbed, "I can't do this without you!" How could he ask her to do this without him? How could he ask her to give birth to their second and third child without him? How could he ask her to raise them without him?

"Okay, I need you to push now," the doctor told her. Winona couldn't hold back anymore, letting out a pained scream as she pushed. She barely even noticed the shuttle had ejected from the ship.

A few pushes and many tears later, there was the sound of a cry, audible over the comms. The small child was handed to Winona, who took him with eyes full of wonder and awe. This was her second child. This was _their_ second child.

"What is it?" George's voice broke over the comms. Winona, staring down at her beautiful child, smiled.

"It's a boy. The first one's a boy."

"A boy?" George called out in surprise. "Tell me about him." He knew there would probably only be minutes before Winona had to push again, but he wanted to hear about his second child. He wasn't sure if he'd have enough time to hear the cries of his third.

"He's beautiful," Winona said softly, sniffling back tears. "George you should be here. You should be here for him and... and for whatever the other child is. You should be here for them."

"What are we going to call him?" He was changing the subject, trying not to think of the impact that was about to happen. He didn't want to think about the fact that he wasn't going to be there to see his children grow up. He didn't want to think that he'd never even know the sex of his other child.

"We can name him after your father?" Winona said unsurely. She had no idea. Names were never her strong suit.

"Tiberius? You kidding me? No, that's the worst," George laughed hollowly. He couldn't name his second born son after Tiberius. "Let's name him after your dad. Let's call him Jim."

"Jim," Winona repeated, staring down at her beautiful baby boy. There was no doubt about it, that was his name. Staring down at him, she could tell. It was the only name that fit him. "Okay, Jim it is."

"Sweetheart, can you hear me?" George called out. Winona broke her gaze from her son, holding him close to her. No, this couldn't be happening.

"I can hear you!" She cried out.

"I love you so much. I love you-" and then the comm went silent. She could see outside of the shuttle's windows just in time to catch the explosion. She clutched Jim closer to her, sobs wracking her body. George was gone. Her George. Her husband. He was gone.

Winona let out a scream of pain, and a nurse came to take Jim from her. Her contractions were starting again. She couldn't do this, though. She couldn't. She couldn't give birth to another child without her husband. He couldn't be dead! He couldn't leave her to raise three children on her own!

"You have to push," the doctor repeated once more. She did as she was told, no way of keeping it in. Tears streamed down her face and it was only minutes before her ears were greeted with another cry.

"It's a girl, ma'am." Winona was told as she was handed her second child. She was sobbing, looking down at her beautiful daughter. "What shall you call her?"

"Winnifred," Winona said breathlessly. It was the name George had often talked of when he thought of having a girl. Winona hadn't been fond of the idea, thinking it was too close to her own name, but that didn't matter now. She just wanted to make her husband happy, even in death.

 **Iowa, 2244**

"You know what? Get the hell out of the house! When your mom comes back, she can deal with you! Go ahead, go, run away! You think I give a damn?" Frank called out after the eldest Kirk. He was done dealing with this. He was done dealing with Winona's kids, especially George.

"Sam! Where are you going?" A little girl's voice could be heard calling out. She followed after him, her twin brother close on her heels. She passed Frank, who was seething.

"As far as I can get!" George Samuel Kirk, Jr. told his younger sister.

"Which won't be far enough! This is my house! Not yours, not your mother's!" Winnifred tried to catch up to Sam with Jim following after. "What? What do you want Jimmy?" Frank snapped at the middle child, who had yet to say anything.

"I... just don't want my brother to go..." Jim admitted, looking now at Sam, who had stopped. Winnifred had finally caught up, wrapping her arms around her eldest brother's middle.

"What you want doesn't matter. You're no one and I asked you to wash the car," Frank told him, glaring down at him. God, how could he be stuck with three kids like this? It wasn't his damn job to raise them! "How many damn times do I have to repeat myself."

"You can't leave, Sammy, you can't leave," Winnifred cried softly. How could he leave them here with Frank? He was horrible! He treated them horribly! If he was going to go, the least he could do was take them with him!

"Go," Frank turned around to look at Sam, his voice full of conviction. If Sam left, that was one less child to look after.

"Please stay," Jim spoke to his brother finally. Sam was trying to wriggle out of Winnie's grip.

"I can't take Uncle Frank anymore. Mom has no idea what he's like when she's not around. Do you hear him talking like he's our dad? And that's not even his car you're washing! That's dad's car!" Sam finally managed to get out of his sister's grip, walking off. Jim was quick to get to Sam's pace, Winnie stumbling after the two.

"You two are going to be fine, you always are. Always doing everything right - good grades, obeying every stupid order. I can't be a Kirk in this house. Show me how to do that and I'll stay." Neither Jim nor Winnie could offer a solution, now matter how hard they thought. Sam watched them sadly. It wasn't as if he wanted to leave them, not here with Frank, but what else could he do? He couldn't stay here any longer. "I'll see you."

As Sam walked off, Winnie could feel the hot tears pouring down her face. She tried to keep it quiet, but she couldn't. As Jim watched his older brother walk off, he pulled his sister into a tight hug. He'd have to be the one to protect them now. He'd have to take over for Sammy. It was his job now.

Slowly, James walked his sobbing sister back towards the house. He had to get to cleaning the car. It was his only chore of the day, knowing that Frank was wanting to sell it. If he didn't get it done, well, it would be bad news for everyone.

Jim sat Winnie down next to the car and got to work. He wished he knew of a way to stop her from crying, but he had nothing. There was nothing up his sleeve. He had tried to offer her his Flo-yo, but she refused it. She didn't want a stupid toy; she wanted her big brother back.

As Jim was washing the interior of the car, the keys fell almost serendipitously into his lap. He stared at them for a minute before a wild idea jumped into his head. "Winnie," he called out, softly at first but then more resound when she didn't respond.

"What?" Her voice was hoarse. She had gotten up and moved over to the car. Her puffy eyes fell on the keys in Jim's hand, and she didn't quite understand at first.

"Get in the car." She didn't need to be told twice. Wiping the tears away from her cheeks, Winnie climbed into the passenger side seat. She closed the door with a bang and looked out at the road ahead.

"Do it."

The tires squealed as James peeled out onto the main road, dust kicking up behind them. There was no one else around and Jim kept his foot pressed down hard on the gas, the speed climbing and climbing. Jim could barely see over the steering wheel, but that didn't matter. He just wanted to keep going faster.

The two jumped when the phone started to rang. Winnie got the answer button first, cringing as Frank's voice shot out of it. "Hey, are you two out of your minds? That car's an antique! You think you can get away with this just because your mother's off planet? You two get your asses back home, now! You live in my house! You live in my house and that's my car! You get one scratch on that car and I'm going to whip you're as-" Jim quickly reached out, shutting the phone off and switching it to the radio. He reached up, a newfound confidence, and unlatched the roof. They were going so fast, though, that it ripped right off, tumbling to the ground behind them.

Winnie watched with wide eyes, her heart pounding in her ears. She turned back around in her seat just as Jim let out an excited yell. A smile wormed its way on her tear stained face and she soon found herself joining him. This was the most reckless thing they had ever done, the stupidest thing... the best thing.

A figure appeared on the road, and it held its hand out as the car got closer. Winnie realized it to be Sam as they passed, and Jim waved at him while Winnie made a face. He couldn't believe it. His brother and sister were... they were joyriding their late father's car! Just seconds after they passed, a cop had pulled out onto the road, lights on as it raced after the corvette.

"Uh, Jimmy?" Winnie called out, looking over her shoulder to see the cop. He could see him too.

"Citizen, pull over," the cop called out as he came up beside them. Jim clenched his hands on the wheel and Winnie wasn't sure what he was going to do at first. She let out a yell as he made a hard right down a side road. The cop wasn't fooled, and quickly came after them.

Winnie's eyes widened as she saw what was up ahead. Or rather, what wasn't up ahead. The road was gone, and there was a ravine. Jim had to stop! If he didn't, they'd both die for sure! "JIM!" Winnie yelled over the wind, but Jim wasn't stopping. If anything, they were picking up speed.

Jim switched gears and let out one final yell. He braked, turning the car to its side so that it was drifting now. He reached out quickly, grabbing his sister by the arm. With all his strength, he propelled Winnifred out in front of him. She screamed, reaching out to grab ahold of the ground. When she was sure that she was safe, she turned to see Jimmy barely hanging on at the edge of the ravine.

She moved quickly, scrambling to her feet and rushing over to grab hold of him. As she helped him up, his gaze became steady on something behind her. She turned, noticing the cop had finally caught up with them, as was inevitable. "Is there a problem officer?" Jim asked once he was on his feet. Winnie stood beside him, trying to be just as tall and unafraid as her brother.

"Citizens, what are your names?"

"My name is James Tiberius Kirk-"

"And I'm Winnifred Valeria Kirk." The two stood proud, not caring at the amount of trouble they were about to be in. It wasn't going to be their last, either. The two would be known for causing havoc and mayhem in their small town for years to come.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _And that's where I'm going to end for the first chapter. I'm going to let you know, though, that the first bit of the story (which follows the first movie) has very little romance in it involving the characters and the OCs. It is more to establish their friendships. It will progress into it more later._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note:** Oh my gosh, people already seem interested in this story. :O And I already have my first review? .3. I legit wasn't expecting that at all, but I appreciate it so much! And no, Sforzanna, I don't think it's odd at all, because those little dorks are adorable af, lol. In any case, I'm glad you like it and I am absolutely grateful for your review!_

 _xoxo_

 **Iowa, 2255**

Winnie didn't hate going to the bar. On most occasions, she really enjoyed it. She'd have a few glasses of spiced rum - her go-to drink - and maybe, if she was drunk enough, go and dance with some face she wouldn't remember the next day. That last part was a rare occurrence, but it had been known to happen every now and again. Tonight, however, Winnifred Kirk was far from happy. She hadn't wanted to go in the first place, having had a long and tiring day at work, but James had insisted. Being unable to say no to that stupid pouting face, she agreed. And now here she was, having to painfully listen to her brother attempt to flirt with an uninterested cadet. And really, it was _very_ painful.

"You _are_ good without it. It's Jim. Jim Kirk." There was a long and awkward silence before Jim continued, "If you don't tell me your name, I'm gonna have to make one up." And it was then that Winnifred stood up and walked away from the bar, half empty glass of rum in her hand. She'd find a more suitable place to sit. Away from her brother's flirting. God only knew he'd find a way to charm her, and then they'd be off. She didn't need to witness that.

It had literally only been a minute since Winnie left Jim at the bar that there was a commotion. She turned around just in time to see her brother kick some cadet away from him and all hell seemed to break loose. The only thing she could think of was: _Not again._ It wasn't like Winnie was the picture of perfect behavior - she was a Kirk after all - but with Jim around she looked like a damned angel with a shining halo and all. Why was he always getting into trouble? She couldn't take him anywhere without him getting into a fight.

Winnie could only stand to watch for so long as the cadets ganged up on her brother; the pleas for them to stop from the cadet Jim had been hitting on was falling onto deaf ears.

Placing her drink down on the closest table, Winnie strode towards the brawl. Jim could handle himself, there was no doubt about it, but there were times when he got far too cocky. This was one of those moments, and he wasn't going to able get out of this without at least some help. No matter how much he would deny it.

"Oi, you, _cupcake_ ," Winnie tapped one of the fellows on the shoulder. He turned around, eyes running up and down her. Winnie was a lot shorter than her brother, standing at 5'3" - in her current heels, she stood at maybe 5'5" - and she had a generally petite build. All in all, she wasn't exactly the picture of intimidating, no matter how well she wore her signature leather jacket. "Leave him the _fuck_ alone."

The man snorted. "And what're you going to do about it Princes-" Winnie reeled her arm back before launching it forward, cutting him off mid-sentence. It made contact with his face, causing him to stumble back. He lost his footing as he came in contact with a chair and fell straight on his ass. She could tell she had done some real damage as he yelled out in pain. She might not have been as strong as her brother, but he had taught her a thing or two on how to hold her own in a fight.

Win started to engage with another cadet. She ducked down low, narrowly avoiding his fist, and stuck out her leg to kick his out from under him. Just as he made contact with the floor, there was a loud whistle. The whole bar fell silent, eyes on the man that stood in the doorway. Winnie stood from her position, not nearly as intimidated by his presence as everyone else seemed to be.

"Outside, all of you." There was a pause, no one moving. "Now!" At that, everyone started to file out. Echos of _Yes, Sir!_ followed them. Winnie wasted no time to rush over to her brother, who was currently semi-conscious and hanging off of a low table.

"Jim, the fuck is wrong with you," Winnie murmured, taking in his injuries. The guys had really done a number on him. She was so focused on trying to help her bloodied brother up on his feet that she hadn't noticed the man had come up behind her.

"Y'alright son?"

"You can... whistle really loud, y'know that?" Jim slurred, causing Winnie to let out a loud sigh.

It had taken quite the effort to get Jim steady, but he was soon sitting at a table with bloodied tissues sticking out of his nose. He tried to ignore Winnie's attempts to get a better look at his face. Every now and then he pulled his head out of her hands, leaving her to bark at him to sit still. Eventually, she just gave up, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back in her chair.

"You know, I couldn't believe when the bartender told me who you two are," the man - who had identified himself as Captain Pike - spoke up. The bar was just about empty at this point, leaving the three alone to talk in privacy.

"And who are we, Captain Pike?" Jim questioned, unamused as he brought his glass to his lips.

"Your father's children." Jim had little to no reaction, but Winnifred was now sitting straight up in her chair, eyebrows furrowed.

"Excuse me?" She questioned as Jim hailed for another drink.

"For my dissertation, I was assigned the USS Kelvin," Pike clarified, "Something I admired about your dad... he didn't believe in no-win scenarios."

"He sure learned his lesson," Jim said sarcastically. Winnifred's jaw set, her gaze leaving the men at the table. Had George Kirk, Sr.'s final moments really been a winning scenario? He died. He left behind a wife and three children. Said wife, mother to his children, delved herself so deep into her work that she couldn't see what her children had to deal with when she wasn't around. Yes, she was a good mother when she was home, and Winnie loved her. But the fact that she didn't know what Frank was really like still hurt her to this day. Winnifred just couldn't help but think that their childhood hadn't been a 'winning scenario.'

"Well, depends on how you define winning. You're here, aren't you?" The captain's gaze wandered from the twins to the bartender, who had brought Jim another drink. "You know, that instinct to leap without looking, that was his nature too. And in my opinion, it's something Starfleet has lost. We're admirable, respectable, but overly disciplined."

"It's reckless," Winnie spoke up, finally looking back up at Captain Pike, "it's stupid and reckless and it never ends well."

"Perhaps," Pike drew out. "Look, those cadets you took on, they'll make competent offices, but you can bet your ass they'll run home to momma the minute they're looking down the barrel of a Klingon phaser cannon."

"Look, why're you talking to us, man?" Jim interrupted him. He didn't like all of this beating around the bush, and he wanted Captain Pike to get to the point. He was just ready to go home, as was Winnie.

"I looked up your files while Jim here was drooling on the floor. Both of your aptitude tests were off the charts. So what is it, d'you like being the only genius level repeat-offenders in the midwest?"

"Maybe I love it," Jim told him offhandedly. Winnie sighed, rubbing her forehead. She was absolutely sure that he did love it. As for her, well, she went where Jim went. She had taken interest in different things during high school, but hadn't gone much further with it since graduating. She studied psychology and languages in her spare time, but she just called that light reading. Honestly, if she were to ever admit it, she'd have to say she was just too scared to be away from Jim. Ever since they were young, he had been her protector. What would she ever do without him? He was her crutch.

"So your dad dies, you can settle for a less-than-ordinary life," there was a pause as the twins tensed. One of Winnie's hands formed a fist, her nails digging into her palms, "or do you feel like you're meant for something better? Something special?" There was a fraction of a pause before Captain Pike suggested, "Enlist in Starfleet."

" _Enlist_?" Winnie laughed. Was he honestly asking them to enlist? Like, this wasn't a dream? Winnie hadn't gotten punched in the head and was lying unconscious on the bar floor, was she? How stupid did he really think they were? Starfleet took their father away from them.

"You must be way down on your recruiting quota for the month-" Jim added, only to be cut off by Pike.

"If you're half the person your father was, Starfleet could use the two of you. You could be officers in four years and have your own ship in eight." Jim's face had lost all humor. He was done with this conversation, and so was Winnie. "You understand what the federation is, don't you? It's important. It's a peacekeeping and humanitarian armada-"

"Are we done?" Jim interrupted him once more, and hopefully for the last time. He wanted to hop on his motorcycle, head back to their apartment, and go to bed. Although, he had a feeling it was actually going to be Winnie who drove them home, and she'd probably want to make sure he didn't need stitches anywhere before she actually let him go to bed.

"I'm done." Jim nodded, glad, as he brought his drink up to his lips. He wanted to finish this before he went. Winnie watched silently as Pike stood from his chair. "Riverside shipyard. Shuttle for new recruits leaves tomorrow, 0800."

"Good for them," Winnie said while Jim raised his glass to the captain. Winnie could only describe the look on Pike's face as disappointed, though she wasn't bothered by it. It reminded her of when she was a kid and an adult would say, _I'm not mad; I'm just disappointed._ She hated that phrase. She thought it was stupid.

"Your father was captain of a starship for twelve minutes," and here Winnie had been so sure that Pike had been done. She'd have to look up the definition again, just to see if it still meant that same thing, "he saved 800 lives, including your mother's and yours. I dare the two of you to do better." The twins sat in silence as Captain Pike left the bar.

"What a load of bullshit," Winnie mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest in a _humph_ , "bringing up Dad like that? I don't like him." Her eyes fell onto her brother, who was uncharacteristically quiet. He brought a salt shaker shaped like a Starfleet ship up to his face, examining it, and Winnie couldn't believe her eyes. "What, Jim, no."

"I didn't say anything," Jim said after a moment, putting the salt shaker down.

"No, but you've got that look in your eye! I've known you for twenty-two years and I _know_ that look!"

"I have no idea what look you're talking about!" Jim raised his hands defensively. Winnie's green eyes narrowed as she glared at him. She reached out and gave him a quick and sharp poke to the chest, causing him to wince.

"That look that says you were just dared to do something and you can't back down. You're going to join Starfleet on a freaking dare!" Winnifred exclaimed. She honestly couldn't believe it. All Pike had to do was dare him, and Jim fell right into his lap.

"Okay, but Winnie, what if we-"

" _We_?" She cut him off. Now it wasn't just Jim who was joining Starfleet, but Winnie too? Where in his right mind did he think she was going to join Starfleet?

"Winnie, you're not happy here. You pretend to be happy, but you're not. You serve food to locals at the diner and hope that they'll tip you in more than just a slap on the ass. You go home and you shove your nose into books on human and alien brains and how they work. You've learned two languages since you've gotten out of high school, but what are you using them for?" Winnie stared at him in shock. Not once had she ever voiced her complaints to Jim. Not once had she told him that yeah, maybe she'd like to get out of Iowa and do something with her life. She kept that to herself, but somehow, all along, he had known. "Think of what you could do if you enlisted in Starfleet? And I'll go with you."

"But it's... it's _Starfleet_ , Jim."

"Big ol' scary Starfleet," Jim smiled at his sister, "It ain't got nothin' on us Kirks."

* * *

Winnie was anything but a morning person. She preferred long nights reading and late mornings of staying in bed. She had planned on doing nothing this morning, as it had been her day off, but things had taken a different turn. While she had stayed up late, it wasn't because she was reading, but because she was freaking out over what she and Jim had decided. And instead of sleeping in late, here Win was in the early morning, holding onto Jim's middle as they rode into Riverside Shipyard.

Riverside Shipyard, where there was a shuttle with new recruits for Starfleet Academy. _Starfleet Academy_. She had tried to grasp the concept of it all throughout the night, but she still couldn't believe it. She and Jim were going to _enlist_. At twenty-two years old, the Kirk twins were finally doing something with their lives. Of all the things Winnie had imagined, Starfleet had honestly never been one.

It was both exciting and terrifying, at least to Winnie anyway. After she got over the initial freak out, she thought about what enlisting would entail. She'd be able to further her education. She could study psychology and learn, not just languages of the Earth, but of other planets! It was fascinating and amazing and exciting! And then there was the terrifying bit. For one, Starfleet operated in space. The last time Winnie had been in space was on the day she was born, and while she clearly didn't remember a single thing about it, it wasn't like it had been a good day. It had been the day of her father's death.

Winnifred hadn't been on a shuttle since then, and she hadn't had any qualms over the matter. She had been happy enough to have both feet on solid ground. The thought of flying made her stomach queasy and she couldn't help but think of all of the things that could go wrong. When she had voiced her unease to Jim the night before, he had just taken her hands in his and told her that everything was going to be alright. After all, he was going to be right there with her. That was all she needed to help ease her anxiety enough to actually go through with this crazy idea.

Winnie tightened her grip around Jim's waist as he drove his bike through the bustling shipyard. Everyone seemed busy preparing for the flight, but she was most in awe of the shuttle that they were approaching. She was broken from her thoughts as Jim shut the bike off, and she quickly climbed off.

"Nice ride, man," one of the workers commented, evaluating the bike. Winnie was just as surprised as the worker when Jim tossed him the keys. It only made her realize just how real what they were doing was. They were leaving their life behind. Win had paid their apartment's rent for the next couple of months and had boxed up as much as she could. After phoning her mother - who had been in absolute shock when she told her what they were doing - it was resolved that Winona Kirk would put her belongings into storage when she got back home. Jim hadn't gone to such lengths, ready to get rid of everything from his old life.

"Keep it." Jim told the worker before he made his way towards Pike. Winnifred followed close behind. "Four years? I'm gonna do it in three," he told the captain, who was grinning widely. Honestly, though, Jim's cockiness was almost too much for her to handle. Three years? She was not going to compete with that. She wanted to savor her education, not jump head first into action.

"I'm just following to make sure he doesn't get himself killed," Winnie told Pike, who had a look on his face that said he didn't believe her for a second that that was the only reason she was here.

Inside the shuttle was a wonder to be seen with the amount of recruits. There were rows and rows, some of them even alien. And it wasn't as if Winnie had never seen an alien before, but it still made her giddy all the same - which was good, considering she was still trying to conceal the mass of anxiety that was bubbling up in her stomach.

Winnie caught back up with Jim after lingering back a little too long. She reached him just in time to see him bang his head, causing her to wince. That looked like it had hurt. "At ease, Gentlemen," Jim smirked. Win followed his gaze to see that there was Cupcake and his gang, all looking a little worse for wear. Win flexed her hand, wondering for a moment if Cupcake's jaw hurt more than her hand did. She hoped so.

Jim was the first to sit down, his attention immediately taken by the pretty cadet from the night before. "Never did get that first name," he smirked. Winnie just rolled her eyes at Jim's never ending pursuit.

"And you never will," the cadet grinned back at him.

As Winnie took her seat next to Jim and buckled herself in, she tried not to think too much on the actual flying business. She reached out, gently taking James' hand into her own. She needed the level of comfort that his presence provided for her. He was her protector, and she felt she needed protected.

"You know," the cadet spoke up once more, "it's really kind of shameless." Win's eyes turned to look at her while Jim raised an eyebrow, questioning her. "Flirting with someone in front of your girlfriend. You better keep an eye on this one."

"I'm sorry, what?" Winnie's eyes widened, not sure if she had heard her right.

"My girlfriend?" Jim echoed, just as confused as Winnie had been. It took her a moment to realize in full what the cadet had thought.

"Oh, gross!" Winnie retracted her hand from her brother's. "Why'd you put that picture in my head. I'm going to be sick."

"What, did I say something wrong?" The cadet's head was tilted to the side in confused, eyebrows pulled together. She had assumed that, because they had been holding hands and seemed comfortable and close with each other, that they had been… _dating_. Oh, Winnie just couldn't even think about it anymore.

"Yeah, I'm not his girlfriend, I'm his sister. His _twin_ sister." Win clarified, causing the other woman to let out a small gasp.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry! I didn't realize-"

"And who is stupid enough to flirt with another girl in front of his girlfriend?" Jim questioned. Winnie thought about it for a moment before coming to a resolve.

"Y-yeah, no, that actually does sound like something you would do, Jim." That was, if he ever stuck with one woman long enough to actually call her his girlfriend. He just very noncommittal.

"What? No, I wouldn't do that."

"Jim, you flirt with pretty much anything that walks. If you had a girlfriend, I wouldn't doubt you would flirt with someone else in front of her." Jim gave her incredulous look.

"Why are we even talking about this? Let's just get off of this topic, okay? Look, we're about to take off." Jim quickly tried to change the subject. Winnie turned her head to look out the window, but her attention was quickly diverted to a scene happening by the bathrooms.

"Are you people deaf? I told you I don't _need_ a doctor, dammit! I _**am** _ a doctor!" A flight officer was trying to get a man, who looked to be a bit older than she and Jim, into a seat. And here Winnie thought she had been freaking out earlier.

"You need to find a seat-"

"-I had one, in the bathroom with no windows-"

"-sir, you need to get back to your own seat, now-"

"I suffer from aviaphobia, case you don't understand big words, it means 'fear of dying in something that flies'-"

"Sir, for your own safety, sit down or I will _make_ you sit down. Do you hear me? Right now!"

The twins watched apprehensively as the man seemed to give him. He nodded, an annoyed look on his face, before he took the empty seat next to James. Winnie watched curiously now as he turned to Jim and told him, "I may throw up on you." Oh god, she really didn't need that. She was a sympathetic puker, and if he threw up, well, it was going to be hell. Mostly for James.

"I think these things are pretty safe," Jim tried to reassure him.

"Don't pander to me, kid," the man cut him off, "one tiny crack in the hull and our blood boils in thirteen seconds! Solar flare might crop up, cook us in our seats. And wait'll you're sitting pretty with a case of Andorian shingles, see if you're still so relaxed when your eyeballs are bleeding!" Jim let out a sigh, trying not to focus on the fact that his sister was currently squeezing all feeling out of his left hand. He had kept her relatively calm up until this point, and now he could feel her freaking out beside him. "Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence."

"Well, I hate to break this to you," Jim told him rather curtly, "but Starfleet operates in space."

"Yeah, well, got nowhere else to go. The ex-wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce. All I've got left is my bones," he told Jim as he took a swig from a small flask. Afterwards, he handed Jim the flask, who took it graciously. He'd take a sip, and then maybe, just maybe, getting a little bit of alcohol into Winnie would calm her down.

"Jim Kirk, and this is my sister, Winnie Kirk," Jim introduced them, handing Winnie the flask. She gave him a small smile before taking a swig, making a face as the alcohol burned down her throat - but it was a good burn, a familiar burn. At this point, even she hoped the alcohol would help her calm down.

"McCoy. Leonard McCoy," Leonard introduced himself in return, eyes falling onto the deathgrip the poor girl had on her brother. Alright, maybe he shouldn't have been ranting.

Jim passed him back the flask, eyeing him warily. "Are you really going to throw up?"

"Maybe." And with that the shuttle took off, taking them to Starfleet Academy. Who could imagine what their future might hold.

 _ **Author's Note:** Alrighty! Second chapter done! Next chapter should start the Kirk twin's time at the academy. For that, I'm going to break from the movie and add some of their academy days. Because I don't want this story to just read like the script. Anyway, until next time!_

 _xoxo_

 _(ps, sorry for any inconveniences, the format kept getting all fucked up for whatever reason. hopefully it all works out now...)_


	3. Chapter 3

**Starfleet Academy, Presidio in San Francisco. 2255**

Starfleet Academy was bustling with new recruits. Everyone was trying to figure out where they were going and the staff was trying to help out as best they could. Did they get their PADDs and identification badges? If not, then it was this way! They'd explain that the PADDs would be vital to their entire stay at the academy, telling them where their rooms were, what their schedules were, who their adviser was, what their grades were, et cetera. The new recruits were told to be careful with their PADDs, because there would be a fine if one were to lose or break them and disciplinary actions could follow suit - especially if it happened more than once.

After students got their PADDs, it was wise for them to head to their designated dorms. More staff would be located inside, helping them find their rooms. Here they would meet the person they would dorm with for the rest of the year. Changes could only be made if the situation was absolutely dire.

After arriving at the academy, Winnifred and James had to undergo getting accepted. Winnie worried, at first, whether they would - especially since they had done so so late. It was no surprise to James - or Captain Pike - when they were. Maybe they were just that good or maybe, as Winnie felt deep down, they had just been accepted so quickly because of who their father was.

They had managed to get their PADDs right at the end of this busy and crazy period, right before classes started. "It says that my dorm is… that way," Winnie said, looking up and pointing towards the north end of the campus. Jim frowned for a moment, looking around before looking back down at his PADD.

"Looks like mine is on the other side of the campus." Winnie let out a small sigh. Well, it looked like this was where they parted ways. And so early, too. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, staring up at her twin brother. "How about we meet for dinner in the mess hall?"

"Yeah, okay. Don't get yourself into too much trouble, okay?" The smirk on Jim's face suggested he would probably be doing otherwise, causing Winnie to just laugh. It was then that the twins went their separate ways. The campus wasn't extremely difficult to navigate, but Winnie did have to reference her PADD a few times before she finally came upon her dormitory building.

For the most part, it seemed that people had settled into their rooms. There was the odd person searching door numbers, looking for their room, and now Winnie was one of them. _Room 209_ was what her PADD read. She had to go up two floors before she finally found it. When she did, she stood outside of it for a good couple of minutes. She wasn't sure what was going to lie beyond this door. What kind of roommate was she going to get? Were they going to get along? Was she going to like the room? Was the bed going to be comfortable enough? Was she going to like the desk that she would inevitably end up studying at for hours on end? _You won't know unless you move, Win._ She could hear Jim's voice in her head. Even in her head, Jim was right. She wouldn't know unless she actually took a leap of faith and opened the door.

The room, Winnie assumed, was like any other room. It wasn't that large of a room, but it had enough space in it to move around comfortably. There were two beds and two desks on separate sides. Winnie stopped when she noticed there was someone sitting at one of the desks.

At the sound of her entrance, the other girl turned around in her chair. Her brown eyes lit up and a wide grin broke across her face. As she scrambled to her feet, Winnie noticed that she was taller than her by a couple of inches. "Oh my gosh, you must be my new roommate! Hi! I'm Riley!" The girl rushed forward, holding her hand out.

"Uh, hi," Winnie smiled before reaching out to take Riley's hand, "I'm Winnie."

"Winnie? Like that old kid's story?" Riley questioned, her head tilting to the side.

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh, you know! Oh gosh, what was it called? Oh, right! _Winnie the Pooh_! Wasn't that about a bear?" Riley rambled on, and Win couldn't help but think she used oh a lot.

"Uhm, yeah, I think so? My full name's Winnifred, but I prefer to go by Winnie… or Win, if you want." Win clarified a bit.

"Oooh, Win! I like it. Like Winning! Oh, what if I called you _Winning_!" Winnifred wondered for a second if this was how Riley was all the time or if she had just gotten her hands on something extremely sugary. Riley must have caught the look on her face, because she was soon dissolving into a fit of laughter. "Okay, I won't call you Winning. That's just silly. But, if we're going by nicknames, you can call me Riles if you want. Or Ri."

"Okay," Winnie told her, giving a small smile before she made her way to the empty bed. She gently tossed her PADD down onto it before taking a seat on the edge. "Sooo, _Riles_ ," Winnie tested the nickname out on her tongue, resolving that she liked it, "are you a first year too?"

"A first year? Oh goodness, no. I'm in my fourth year. After next year, I'm going to apply to the medical school. I want to be a doctor, you see."

"Your fourth year?" Winnie repeated incredulously. The girl didn't look much older than she was, but the more Winnie thought about it, the more it made sense. Four years ago, Winnie was graduating from high school. A lot of kids enlisted right after that. She wondered for a moment if she was going to be the oldest new recruit. That was, until she remembered McCoy. Although he was going into the med school, he could still be considered a new recruit. That made her feel a little better - that and knowing there was also at least Jim. "That's amazing," Winnie added after her prolonged silence.

"Aw, thanks! What're you here for? Like, what're you majoring in?" Riley asked, sitting back down on her chair, which was now turned so that she could face Winnie.

"Psychology. I'm thinking of becoming a psychiatrist." Jim was determined to graduate in three years, and he was sure to try and get Winnie to do the same, but she wasn't quite sure how that was going to work out. She'd have to eventually apply to the medical school on top of graduating from the academy. "I'm also minoring in xenolinguistics."

"Oh, that's so cool! I can see where that would be helpful, too. Understanding someone's language can totally help understand the way they think." Winnie grinned widely at her new roommate.

"Yes! Exactly! That and I think languages are just pretty fantastic," she gushed. Riley laughed, nodding her head.

"I only speak two languages, but I do think they're pretty cool. Maybe you can teach me some?"

"Yeah, absolutely! I speak four." Winnie smiled. She felt more at peace now, happier. She and Riley might just get along yet. Her years here at the academy were sure to be good ones, and she honestly couldn't wait.

 **Later that day**

"So, you'll send them shortly then?" Winnie asked into her PADD. She was sitting on her bed in her empty dorm room. Riley had gone out to get something or other, which Winnie couldn't really remember. She had said she wouldn't be long, but it had been a good thirty minutes, so Win wasn't really sure what Riley considered to be long or not.

"Yeah! They should arrive within the next day or so. I put them through as express," the blonde on the screen of Winnie's PADD told her. Winnie smiled.

"Thanks Ma, you're the best." At forty-seven, Winona Kirk didn't look like she had aged much in the past twenty-two years. The only differences were the crinkles around her eyes and her slightly more defined laugh lines. She liked to joke that she could be mistaken for Winnie's twin instead of James, and honestly, it had happened once or twice.

"I know, you don't have to remind me!" Winona laughed. After a couple of moments, she sobered, gazing affectionately at her daughter through the PADD screen. "I still cannot believe my babies are at Starfleet Academy. I didn't get to talk to Jimmy for too long. Do you really think he doesn't want me to send anything?"

"Ah, yeah," Winnie rubbed at the back of her neck, "I think he just wants to rough it out here. You know how Jim is." She didn't have the heart to tell her mother that Jim probably didn't want many reminders of his life back in Iowa. Both of the twins loved their mother, dearly, but there were also some not-so-fond memories coming from their old life.

"Alright, well, tell him I love him and that he better not get into too much trouble," Winona smiled. Winnie smiled in return, giving her mother a sharp nod.

"Will do!"

"And I love you too, Winnifred. I'm proud of you two. Call me when your stuff gets there, and then call me like, oh I don't know, every two days?" Winnie let out another laugh.

"Alright, Ma, will do. I'll make sure Jim does too-"

"You're a sweetheart! Keep him in line okay?"

"I will, Ma, I gotta go, okay? My roommate is back! I'll talk to you later. Love you!" And the call ended just as Riley made her way into the room, arms full of books. Winnie looked over at her, eyebrows raised at the brunette. "What's with you?"

"I… you won't believe this," Riley spoke, her eyes wide as she slowly made her way over to her bed. She dropped the books onto the bed and turned to Winnie. "You know what a legacy student is?"

"Uh, yeah, it's a student who comes from a family of alumni from Starfleet," Winnie shrugged. She wondered for a moment where Riley was going with this. They had only just met today, and Win had yet to tell her who exactly she was. It hadn't seemed that important.

"Yeah, that's the general description I guess, but I mean like a _legacy_ student. Someone who comes from not just an alumni, but like a super important person. Like a captain or a hero or something!"

"Mmhm," Winnie hummed, "annnd where are you going with this?"

"I just ran into one down on the lower floor of the dorm. James Kirk! He's the son of Captain George Kirk! I heard rumors about him enlisting, but I didn't actually think much of it. And now he's in our dorm! And he's really cute too! Oh my gosh. I totally made a fool out of myself, stuttering and my face was red."

"Oh really?" Winnie said half-heartedly. Jesus, were there really rumors about them? Or maybe was it just Jim? He had always been the more in the limelight than Winnie ever was.

"I wonder if he was looking for someone. Do you think he has a girlfriend?" Riley wondered, sitting down on her bed. Winnie knew that look on her face. She had seen it on countless others. She was enamored with him. Honestly, how Jim managed to get so many women fawning over him was a wonder to her. Was it just because of his looks? His charisma? It was amazingly _annoying_.

"No, I doubt it," Winnie mumbled, though she was sure Riley hadn't heard her. Win stood up from her bed, moving to put her PADD onto her desk. There were only two reasons Jim could be in the dorm. One, he was trying to pick up girls (which, really, wouldn't be that much of a surprise) and two, trying to find her. When there was a knock at the door Win decided it was the second one. "I got it."

The doors opened with the familiar _shh-shh_ noise and there stood Jim, lopsided grin and all. "Winnie!" He launched in, grabbing his twin around the middle to lift her up and spin her around. "Do you know how long it took me to find you?"

"Jimmy, put me down! What're you doing here? You told me to meet you in the mess hall!" She let out a yelp. When her feet her properly back on the ground, she straightened her clothes.

"Yeah, well, I thought I'd come pick you up. McCoy is waiting outside. Figured we could all walk over together." Winnie just nodded before turning back to see Riley, sitting on her bed, with a deer in the headlights look on her face.

"Uhm, Jimmy, this is my roommate Riley," Winnie quickly introduced them, "Riley, my brother, James Kirk."

"Kirk… James and… Winnifred. Oh my god, you're _that_ Winnifred?" Riley was finally putting two and two together.

" _That_ Winnifred? What's _that_ Winnifred? Do you have a reputation already Winnie?" Jim laughed, nudging at his sister. She shot him a glare before rolling her eyes.

"No, Jim. _We_ have a reputation. We're legacy students, remember? You and I, we're Kirks."

"Oh yeah, right. Explains why some people were acting really weird around me," Jim pursed his lips in thought. "But hey, we should go. Riley, why don't you join us?"

"Oh, I-I don't know-"

"You should join us, Riles. I'd like you to come," Winnie smiled at the girl. She was her first friend at the academy, anyway. There was no reason why she shouldn't join them. "And you can see what the Kirks are really like. Trust me, we're hardly that interesting."

"Speak for yourself, Shorty, I'm as interesting as they come!" Jim exclaimed, reaching out to wrap his arm around Winnifred's shoulder. He started to tug her towards the door and Winnie quickly gestured for Riley to follow them.

"Yeah, you're about as interesting as watching grass grow in the middle of a draught."

"You've only known McCoy for a couple of days and you're already picking up on metaphors?"

"What can I say, he's a better influence than you are."

Jim, Winnie, Leonard, and Riley sat in the mess hall for hours. After they ate, they hung around, just messing around. Jim and Winnie had a few friendly fights. Leonard - who Jim started to call Bones, which caught on pretty quickly - was constantly complaining about things (and using metaphors to get his point across). Apparently, Jim was already getting asked out on dates and Bones thought it was really annoying. Also, he wasn't sure how he felt about his course load and his room smelled weird and he was still not really looking forward to this whole space thing. Riley watched somewhat silently. She was sort of nervous around the group, especially around Jim. She instantly felt butterflies in her stomach while staring at the man with the bluest eyes she had ever met. Towards the end of the night, however, all of them were laughing and having a grand old time and none of them would ever forget it.

 _ **Author's Note:** Well, there it is! My third chapter already! I'm actually kind of surprised at how quickly I'm whipping these out? I don't know how long it'll last like this, but I'm going to appreciate it while it lasts, haha. In any case, here marks the start of the academy days. It'll jump around through the years just so you can get a glimpse into their life. Spock won't come in until their third year at the academy, and even then romance will be waaaay far away. Hope you don't mind the slow burn! Also, introducing Riley Byrn! Isn't she a sweetie? I love her. And she's already smitten with Jim. Poor dear. She's going to be harboring this crush for a while._

 _Anyway, until next time!_

 _xoxo_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note:**_ _Holy smokes! I'm so glad to see a lot of you favoriting and/or following the story! I'm glad you're enjoying it! And thank you to kiera666 and ZabuzasGirl for your reviews! Sorry this took so long for me to update. There were a lot of different factors that went into preventing it, such as: I got pretty sick for a couple of days, then I had to do some things for school (placement testing, signing up for classes, et cetera), and then I had a doctor's appt and physical therapy (for my hand), and then I went on vacation for a couple of days. Whew. For an introvert like me, that was a hell of a lot of stuff. It also lead to some writers block (also, for some reason, I have a hard time writing Bones? I'm not sure why. So any apologies if he seems out of character. I'll pick it up as I go (hopefully)). Alright, why don't we jump into the fourth chapter? :)_

 **Starfleet Academy, 2255**

Basic Xenolinguistics was going to be an easy course, Winnie was sure of it. If she could have opted out of it, she would have, but it it was required for her minor. Although, on top of all the other courses she was taking, she thought it might be nice to have an easy one. Trying to keep up with Jim was going to prove to be difficult as she could already tell. She was already taking double the normal course load. If she wasn't burnt out by the end of the year, it'd be a miracle.

The lecture hall was full of cadets, all chattering amongst themselves. It seemed that everyone had already made friends. Winnie chewed on the inside of her cheek as she looked around the hall, trying to find a good place to sit. She resolved to just sit in the front, that way she could see and hear better. It might be an easy course, but that didn't mean she was going to slack off.

Winnifred made her way towards the front, finding a small section of empty seats. _Perfect_. She took the seat closest to another cadet, whom she didn't recognize until she sat down. "Hey, it's Uhura, right?" The same cadet she had met on the shuttle over here - the one Jim flirted with and the one who had mistaken Winnie for his girlfriend.

Uhura turned towards the blonde, a smile forming on her face. "Yeah, and it's… Winnie, right?" Winnie nodded, taking her seat. "Are you a xenolinguistics major as well?"

"No, it's my minor; I'm majoring in psychology." Winnie told her as she got her supplies out and ready.

"That sounds interesting," Uhura replied. Winnie wasn't sure if she was being sincere or not, but it didn't matter much to her. Winnie didn't particularly care what others thought of her major. She liked it, and it would help others. She didn't need anyone else's validation.

By now the classroom was almost at capacity. Uhura had gone back to chatting with the person on her left, and Winnie was just waiting for class to start. A young man made his way through the row to take the empty seat next to Winnie, but she didn't pay him much attention. "Wow… hi, uhm, hello," she heard him say. She glanced his way only to find he was talking to her. "Hi, I'm Gregory Straub."

"Uhm…" Winnie hesitated, staring down at his outstretched hand. She cautiously reached out to shake it. "Winnifred Kirk."

"Kirk?" He exclaimed, "As in George Samuel Kirk?" Winnie put on a strained smile. Did honestly everyone know about that? She understood it was a pretty big part of Starfleet history, but damn. People needed to stop doing their research. It was getting old pretty quickly.

"Yes, as in George Samuel Kirk, _Sr._ , my father." She wondered for a moment if her her voice sounded just as strained as her smile. If it had, Gregory hadn't seemed to pick up on it. He just stared at her with wide eyes.

"Wow, so you're basically Starfleet royalty," he grinned at her, though Winnie didn't reciprocate. _Starfleet royalty?_ All because her dad sacrificed himself? He wasn't the only one in all of Starfleet's history to do so. Maybe he was the most recent one, but still. Royalty? "So, Princess Winnifred-"

"Winnie." She interrupted him rather curtly.

"Princess Winnie-" he amended, but Winnie cut him off once more.

" _Winnie._ Just Winnie." He didn't seem bothered this time, though, as he didn't amend himself, and just continued on.

"I'm kind of like Starfleet royalty myself," Gregory smirked, "although it's because my family has a long history of captains. My dad is captain of the USS _Albatross._ " Winnie let out a sigh, having quickly gotten annoyed with this conversation and Gregory as a whole. "So, what I'm thinking is… you… me… _us_ … we should go on a date."

"Excuse me?" Winnie exclaimed, giving him an incredulous look.

"You and I, since we're Starfleet royalty, should go on a date. I mean, it only makes sense." It didn't make sense at all! There was no such thing as Starfleet royalty! And while it wasn't as if Gregory wasn't attractive (at least in looks, his personality was still up for debate), he wasn't exactly Winnie's type. His hair was sandy blonde and his eyes a bright blue. His sitting height seemed close to hers, so she wasn't exactly sure how tall (or short) he was. In the end, Winnie resolved that he looked more like a surfer than a cadet. Cute, maybe, but she wasn't about to jump his bones or anything.

"Uhm… yeah," she drew out, contemplating how to word what she wanted to say, "I'm going to have to go with _no_. We've only just met, and I don't know anything about you."

"Aw, c'mon now, that's what the date is for. For us to get to know each other better."

"Uhhh… I'm still going to have to go with no," she told him, hoping he wouldn't push it anymore. Honestly, the more he did, the more she didn't want to go on a date with him. It was only working against him.

Gregory opened his mouth, preparing to say something, when Winnie noticed the instructor walking in. "Oh, and here's the instructor!" She announced, quickly shutting him up as she turned to pay attention to the man who had just walked in.

* * *

"Starfleet royalty? He actually said that?" Riley questioned, brown eyes wide with shock.

"He did! I still can't wrap my head around it. And he was _so_ persistent!" Winnie shook her head. She picked up a fry, chewing on it as she thought back to that morning.

"I just… _wow_ ," Riley said in awe, leaning forward to rest her head in her hand.

"What's so _wow_?" Jim questioned as he and Bones made their way to the table. Both of their classes let out a little later than both of the girls.

"This guy asked Winnie out-"

"That _is_ surprising!" Jim teased as he took the seat next to Riley and across from Bones.

"Shut up Jim," Winnie frowned. She had half a mind to chuck a fry at his head. "That's not what was so shocking about the situation. It was the _way_ he asked me out."

"Well, what'd he say?" Jim cocked one of his eyebrows as he brought his sandwich up to his mouth.

"He said we should go out because we're both 'Starfleet royalty'," Winnie sighed. The more she said it, the more ridiculous it sounded.

"Starfleet royalty? The hell is that?" Bones asked.

"Apparently, he comes from a long history of Starfleet captains, thus making him 'royalty.' Whereas for us-" Win gestured between her and Jim "-since our dad was this big shot hero who sacrificed himself and saved hundreds of lives, that makes us as good as royalty. It's stupid."

"I'll say," Jim spoke up after swallowing a bite of his sandwich, "that's one of the worst pickup lines I've ever head."

"I dunno Jim, I've heard you say some pretty bad ones over the years." Winnie shrugged her shoulders. She had had front row tickets to many of Jim's pickup lines, and a good handful of them were pretty bad.

"Are you kidding me, Win? I'm incredibly smooth." Winnifred and Bones exchanged a look before rolling their eyes simultaneously.

"So, is he handsome?" Everyone turned to look at Riley, who had been silent for some time now. "Gregory," she clarified, "is he at least cute?"

" _Ehhhh…_ he wasn't really my type," Winnie admitted.

"So he's ruggedly handsome then?" Jim teased. He then let out a noise of surprise as a french fry hit him square in the middle of his forehead.

"Nice shot," Bones complimented, but it fell on deaf ears as Winnie talked over him.

"Actually, Jim, he reminded me of you, except shorter and tanner."

"So he _is_ ruggedly handsome!" Cue groans from both Winnie and Bones. Though Winnie's eyes fell momentarily on Riley, noticing her cheeks pinking over slightly. It had only been a couple of days, but she had already seemed to be crushing hard. Win thought it was kind of cute, but she felt bad for the girl. Would he ever notice her? She was a gorgeous girl, there was no doubt about that, but Jim had this thing about commitment. Maybe one day, Winnie hoped. Maybe she'd even try and help it along. She'd have to come up with a pretty good plan though.

"Get over yourself Jimmy," Winnie rolled her eyes once more. She let out a sigh and leaned forward to rest her chin in her hand. Honestly, though, she hoped that Gregory would just let her be. She didn't need that in her life. She was happy just pursuing her education right now.

Winnie had tuned herself out of the conversation. She missed Jim making some joke, causing Riley to choke on her drink and Bones to make some comment about it while rolling his eyes. She just couldn't believe that it was only her first day of classes and she was getting unwarrented attention. All her life she had been a wallflower. She had always wanted to be noticed and wanted, but this wasn't how she wanted it. This made her feel uncomfortable. Was she wrong in feeling like that? Suddenly going back on everything she had wanted before?

"Hey." Winnie was brought out of her thoughts when Bones gently nudged her. Jim was animately telling Riley a story from their childhood, and Riley was very much into it. Winnie looked away from them and at the older man next to her. "If this guy bothers you again, let me know. I can take care of him faster than you can stay that really long word for silicosis."

"You mean pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis?" Winnie questioned him, eyebrow cocked. Bones gave her a _stop being a smart ass_ look. Jesus, he knew these kids for a few days now and they could already get under his skin.

"Yeah, that one." When Winnie laughed, Bones couldn't help but smirk somewhat. It was better than her sulking. That was until she said,

"You know, you're a doctor, shouldn't you know that word? _Also_ , if you're going to use it for an idiom, you should probably know it. Or else it's really not all that effective."

"Would you just shut up and be thankful. I knew you would know what the word was," Bones frowned, reaching out to grab his drink. As he brought it to his lips he added, "You're a smart ass, like your brother."

"What about me?" Jim finally came back into the conversation. Winnie paid him no mind as she smiled at the older man. She reached over and patted his arm.

"Thanks Bones. I appreciate it." And she meant it. She appreciated the offer. It was nice to have friends who were willing to do things like that - although, she wasn't quite sure how serious he was over the matter. It's not like she would ever ask for anyone to beat someone up for her, but still. She knew if she asked Jim, he'd do it without any question. That's why she never did. It was nice to know the option was always there, though.

"Appreciate what? What are you guys talking about? Come on!"

"Can it Jim. Bones here was offering to whoop Gregory's ass for me. Whereas you would rather bond with him over how _ruggedly handsome_ you two are." Winnie shook her head, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest.

"So, you're admitting it then, we're both ruggedly handsome." Winnie let out another groan as she stood from her chair. She was done with her lunch, not having been too terribly hungry to begin with. The whole Gregory incident had put her off of her food.

"I've never known anyone more annoying than you, Jim," Winnie told him before walking off to dump her tray. When she made it back, Riley was finishing up her lunch and the others were getting pretty close. She slid back into her seat and gently rapped her fingers on the table. "So when is everyone's next class?"

"Twenty minutes."

"Thirty minutes."

"Twenty minutes."

Winnie pursed her lips at the chorus of answers. That was a pretty decent amount of time between now and then. She herself had twenty-five minutes to spare before she had to go to her xenopsychology class. That meant that they could have some time to hang out together, if they had all wanted to. "Want to hang out in the courtyard until then?" She questioned.

"Yeah, I could use the fresh air! I have to go sit in on an open heart surgery next so that I have some visual for what we're studying in class," Riley said. The thought of it made Winnie shiver. She had never done particularly well with wounds - especially big wounds - because she wasn't a big fan of lots of blood or being able to see into someone's body. She couldn't imagine having to watch an open heart surgery.

"I'll actually be in the surgery," Bones spoke up after swallowing a bite of his apple.

"Really? That's so cool!" The two started to talk about the upcoming surgery as Jim and Bones finished up their lunch.

"What about you? What do you have next?" Winnie asked, turning to look at Jim. She was trying to get out of the whole surgery talk. It made her feel squeamish.

"Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat," Jim shrugged, not seeming all that interested in it. Winnie didn't blame him, it would be a pretty easy class. Jim had gotten into his fair share of fights, and he knew how to hold his own. For the most part - so long as it wasn't, say, a handful of cadets beating up on him in a bar.

"Oh good, you'll finally learn how to defend yourself. I hate picking up your sorry ass off of the floor," Winnie teased. Jim smiled at her, shaking his head before slowly bringing his hand up to flip her off. Winnie just stuck her tongue out at him in return.

It was maybe another five minutes before everyone had finally finished eating and they were out the door. It was a little warm today, but there was a nice breeze that helped everyone stay cool. "You know, I'm really getting used to this San Francisco weather - it's fantastic," Winnie said as they made their way across the campus. She thought it would have been much hotter, being in California, but it really wasn't that bad.

"Well, don't get too used to it," Bones grumbled, "before you know it, you'll be stuck in space. And there's no weather in space."

"You really dislike space, don't you Bones?" Riley giggled. Bones mumbled something under his breath, causing the twins to join Riley in laughing.

"Space is a dangerous place, I don't understand why Jim here is so eager to go. Three years? That's just bat-shit crazy." Bones added, very adamantly.

"Yeah, and he's dragging me with him," Winnie mumbled, more to herself than anyone else.

"I think it's ambitious," Riley said softly, smiling.

"Thank you!" Jim exclaimed, glad that someone seemed to be on his side. Plus, he liked the sound of being called ambitious. It fed his ego. Not that it really needed fed any more. His ego was already huge, and Winnie thought he could stand to be knocked down maybe a peg or two. So long as he didn't _actually_ get hurt in the process. Then she'd have to kick whoever's ass had done it.

"He's doing all of this on a dare, I don't know if you can call that ambitious," Winnie rolled her eyes.

"And yet you're trying to do it too," Jim smirked, causing Winnie to frown.

"Only because you wouldn't let the subject die," Winnie shook her head. She would have been just fine trying to graduate in the normal amount of time, "And even then, I still have to go to med school, so I doubt I'll graduate in three years."

"You're both crazy," Bones settled on, "but then everyone at this god forsaken academy is crazy." He wasn't doing this by choice, and he made sure everyone knew it. He had no other choice but to be shipped off into space. He had nowhere else to go.

"C'mon, Bones, space if amazing… and fascinating… and beautiful!" Riley gushed. She absolutely adored space, and honestly couldn't wait until she was assigned to a ship.

"Yeah, yeah, beautiful and full of deadly diseases and people wanting to kill us." Convincing Bones looked like it was an impossible feat, but one Riley would keep pestering him about. She'd try her hardest. After all, he was going into space too. She'd try and make him see the beauty in it.

The group made their way to the courtyard, where there were a handful of benches and tables. It was a pretty little spot and was usually full of cadets. Today it wasn't too bad, having at least a few tables and benches empty. Lots of cadets were coming and going from their classes, trying to get some fresh air in between. As they approached the benches, Winnie's foot came in contact with a loose rock, causing her to stumble and hit her shin on one of the benches.

"Fuck, fuck, fucking fuckity McFuck-fuck!" She hobbled for a moment before taking a seat on the offensive bench. After rubbing at her shin for a minute, she glanced up to see both Riley and Bones staring at her with wide eyes. Jim had taken a seat on a table across from her and was simply inspecting his nails, unaffected. "What?"

"Nothing… it's just, I expected that sort of language to come out of Jim here, not you," Bones admitted as he took a seat next to Jim. Riley nodded, agreeing with Bones. Winnie had a very innocent look to her, one that suggested she would rarely be caught swearing, let alone dropping the f-bomb that many times.

"Me?"

"Jim?" The twins said in unison before Winnie spoke up, "Jim swears, sure, but he doesn't drop the f-bomb quite nearly as much as I do."

"Yeah, Win swears like a sailor," Jim added. Winnie wouldn't deny it. She swore a lot, especially when upset or in pain. "Hell, her first word was _fuck_." Winnie let out a small sigh, preparing herself for the story. She hated it when stories from when she was a kid would come up.

"Jim," she whined, begging him not to.

"What? It's Ma's favorite story-"

"So? You don't have to tell them!"

"Oh, but he mentioned it. Now we _have_ to know," Bones grinned over at the blonde. Winnie made a face at him while she continued to rub her shin. The pain was subsiding, thankfully, but she was sure there was going to be a huge bruise there. She bruised easily.

"Your first word was fuck? Really?" Riley questioned as she finally took a seat next to Winnie. She looked amused at the idea and Win let out another sigh. She waved her hand at Jim, giving him the go ahead to actually start the story.

"Alright, so, this is how our mom tells the story," Jim started, "Winnifred here was pretty late to the talking game. My first word was _no,_ at about a year old-"

"Yeah, that makes sense," Bones muttered, causing Winnie and Riley to snicker.

" _Anyway_ ," Jim continued, shooting a glare at Bones, "Winnie didn't start talking until about a year and a half. What you have to understand is, our mother swears a lot. It's where Winnie gets it from. So, throughout our young _impressionable_ childhood-"

"This is not how Ma tells the story, James."

"I'm taking some creative liberties, now will you guys _stop_ interrupting me?" Jim frowned once more. He waited a moment before feeling satisfied with the silence to continue. "Okay, so, where was I? Oh right, our young _impressionable_ childhood, we heard damn, hell, shit, asshole, fuck, motherfucker, you get the gist. And it's not like she swore every other word, but it was frequent.

"So, there we were in our dining room. It was just Ma, Win, George and I. George was sitting at the table coloring. I was on the floor playing with blocks or something because, if you can believe it, I kept trying to climb out of my high chair-" Riley started giggling next to Winnie, who just smirked. "Winnie was in her high chair, food all over her - see, that's another thing you have to know about Winnie. Until she was in, like, middle school, she always managed to get food on her clothes-"

" _James,_ " Winnie glared at her brother, "that is _not_ necessary information to this story!"

"Necessary? Maybe not. Important and interesting? I think so," Jim grinned at his sister, who looked like she was about to strangle him. "So, Winnie's covered in food and kind of messing around. At this point, Ma's a little stressed. She's got three kids, all pretty young, and it's rough. George breaks one of his crayons and starts crying, as any four year old would when it was their favorite color. Ma moves away from feeding Winnie to try and calm him down - maybe shift his attention to another crayon - but she trips over one of my blocks and stumbles into one of the chairs.

"' _Fuck!'_ Our mom cries out. Pretty normal reaction. No one is really fazed at this point. It's what comes next that is the best. Little one and a half year old Winnie, sitting in her high chair, bangs her hands on the surface of the high chair and calls out, ' _Fuck!'_ followed by some giggling. I'm not bothered by it, because really, my blocks are more interesting, but Ma and George are in shock. George has this look on his face, because he knows that fuck is what Ma would call a _no-no_ word. However, instead of admonishing Winnie like she should have, our mom just starts laughing. She falls into a fit of hysterics because, honestly, it just felt fitting to her that one of her kids first words was a swear word.

"Winnie is in her high chair saying fuck over and over again, and Ma just can't stop laughing. She was laughing for god knows how long before she calmed herself down and tried to get Winnie to stop. And from then on she had to quickly try and keep Win from repeating it, especially when around other people. And that was what started Winnifred's life long love of the word _fuck_."

"Wow, and here my first word was Dada," Bones mused.

"Mine was Momma," Riley added in.

"Guess we're just not as interesting as these Kirk kids," Bones grinned over at Riley, chuckling. "Or maybe we're just normal."

"I definitely think it's the second," Riley laughed, "these Kirks and their strangeness!"

"Hey, we're not _that_ strange!" Winnie exclaimed, giving Riley a little push, but she was smiling and laughing. Their collective bout of laughter was cut short by the sound of an alarm. Everyone turned to Bones, who was pressing a button on his watch.

"Damn, guess it's time to go prep for surgery," he frowned. And here was actually enjoying spending some time with these _punk_ _kids_ , as he liked to call them (despite Winnie having told him numerous times already that he was only six years older than them, hardly making them kids to him).

"Why don't we walk with you two," Jim suggested, hopping off of the table, "I mean, I gotta head in that direction anyway."

"Yeah, sure," Bones said as he stood up. Winnie and Riley followed suit and the group was soon making their way across the campus once more. Bones said something that was apparently funny, because the group dissolved into another fit of laughter - although most of it was coming from the girls.

Winnie wasn't really watching where she was going, having been laughing too hard, and she accidentally bumped shoulders with someone. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, trying to stop her laughter. She didn't hear if the man said anything in return because Jim was calling behind to her, telling her to not fall behind.

Win quickly excused herself, running after the group. When she caught up to them, Jim threw his arm over her shoulder and pulled her along, causing a noise of protest from the shorter blonde. The man who Winnie had run into stared after them, watching curiously. After a moment, he shook his head and turned away from them. He had more pressing matters to attend to. He was off to present his newest program to the superintendent... _The Kobayashi Maru test._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _Annnnd that's where I'm going to end it! I just had to put a little Spock cameo in there. Because he doesn't really become part of the story until their third year, but like, I need Spock in my life. Lol. Also, I made up the ship that Gregory's father is captain of. At least, it wasn't on the ship list that I looked at._

 _I just want to let you guys know that it is taking everything in me not to skip ahead to Spock and Winnie romance. ;^; It's gonna take a while to get to it, so please give me the strength to get there!_

 _Also, I'm going to start asking little questions at the end of my fics. Kind of like input or such, so feel free to let me know in the reviews if you want! This fic's question is what is your favorite Bones-esque metaphor/quote/pun/et cetera? Something you can see Bones saying. I may or may not use it in the fic if it's really good (although I will 110% credit you for it!)._

 _And thank you all for reading!_

 _xoxo_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note:**_ _Oh my gosh, thank you Tolerantfern, datajana, Princess of Mirkwood2,_ _AwesomeFangirlOtaku01, and shadow343434 for your reviews! I'm all smiles and giddy and blushy, so thank you very much! Unfortunately, shadow343434, there is no link, but I appreciate it all the same! I'll have to do some googling. :)_

 _And Chris, thank you for your review! That was one of the reasons I was apprehensive about posting this fic, because it did seem to fall under a big cliche among OC stories, but I am glad that you have enjoyed it thus far! :D_

 _Also, for this one, I created some outfits for the girls for the party they're going to on Polyvore. If you search for the member_ _ **alilew**_ _, the most recent collection (aptly titled Winnie &Riley) is their outfit. Anyway, without further ado, let's get on with the next chapter! (and mind you, it is a long one! That's why it took so long to get out)._

 **Starfleet Academy. December, 2255.**

The Starfleet Academy's campus was pretty dead in December. Most people had traveled home for the break, visiting family and spending time with loved ones. There were a few rare souls who stayed behind. Some worked on their studies, others just goofed off. Most of the people who stayed behind didn't have a family to go home to - or it wasn't that great of a situation. No one really asked many questions about it.

Winnie had initially planned on going home - at least for the holidays - but Jim was pretty adamant about staying on campus. Most of the time he would change the subject when she brought it up, but when she could get him to talk about it, he would just tell her he wanted to hang out on campus. Something about wanting to get ahead of his studies (which she didn't fully believe, because more often than not, he would crash in her room and bug her to go out because there was ' _nothing to do'_ ). Win had contemplated going home by herself, but that train of thought was quickly thrown away. She wasn't about to go home and stay at her mother's house with Frank there. Not without Jim as a buffer. Plus, Riley and Bones were both staying behind as well. Bones had nowhere special to be and, from what Winnie could gather, things were a bit tense between Riley and her parents. So, she stayed behind, but only after promising to phone her mother almost every day.

Christmas was drawing nearer and Win was getting pretty excited. San Francisco in December was a pretty wet time. It was chilly, but Win was used to it. She thought it might actually be warmer out in California than in Iowa, but San Francisco proved to be similar. It had even dipped into the low forties the other day. Still, Winnie wondered if maybe they'd have luck in getting some snow. She had her doubts, and everyone frequently expressed them when she mentioned it, but how awesome would it be to have a white Christmas? Those were her favorites.

"So, I've finally gotten all my presents wrapped," Riley said as she entered their dorm room. She was shrugging off her jacket when Winnie looked up at her.

"Damn, Riley, we're like five days away from Christmas. I had mine done like two weeks ago." Winnie sat up on her bed, tucking her legs underneath her. She had always gotten really excited about Christmas, especially when it came to presents. She spent a lot of time searching for what she thought would be the _perfect_ gifts, and then would wrap them right away. As time would go on, she would get more and more antsy about Christmas arriving. Once or twice she almost gave in and handed presents out early.

"Well _sorry_ we can't all be like you, Mrs. Claus," Riley teased, making her way towards her desk. She sat down her large shopping bag, which looked to be filled with wrapped presents. Winnie merely stuck her tongue out at the brunette.

"Hey, did you give any thought to that party Jim invited us to on Christmas Eve?" Someone else who had stayed behind on campus had decided to throw a Christmas party. Winnie and Riley had both been pretty introverted when it came to interacting with the other students, and they only heard about it through Jim. He thought it might be fun to go out to a party together. He had tried to get them to go to a few over the past semester, but they had always managed to get out of it. Now, it seemed a little difficult. They had nothing else to do and Jim knew it. Apparently he had already wrangled Bones into it (who was pleading for the girls to come, because otherwise he'd be left to his own devices amongst a bunch of drunk _kids_ ).

"I did," Riley drew out, "and I… I don't think I have anything to wear, so I think I'm going to just skip out." She resolved, tapping lightly at her desk. She was facing away from Winnie, but Win could tell her decision wasn't completely made. There was some hesitation, like she really wanted to go, and Winnie could relate to that. A lot, actually.

"Alright then," Winnie resolved after a minute. She stood up from her bed and made her way over to Riley. She grabbed the girl by the hand and spun her out of her chair. "Let's go shopping!"

"W-what? I just came from shopping! I don't-"

"You just said you don't have anything to wear! And, honestly, I could use some new boots. Oh, and we can get our nails done!" Winnie grinned as she dragged Riley towards the door. She quickly slipped a pair of sneakers on and grabbed her purse before dragging the brunette out of their room.

"Winnie!" Riley protested. Win stopped in the hallway. She let go of Riley's hand and turned to face her, a very serious look on her face.

"Riley, I get it. I get why you don't want to go. I get that you're hiding behind the excuse of having nothing to wear-"

"I really don't have anything to wear," Riley pouted.

"That doesn't mean we can't go out and get something! It's a party. It'll probably be loud with a good amount of people - probably everyone who is left on campus and then some. There will most definitely be lots of alcohol. It's going to be exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. You're nervous; I get it. I'm nervous too. I've never been a big partier even though Jim would always drag me to them in high school and even some after that, but this time will be different. It won't just be me, Jim, and a bunch of strangers. It'll be me, Jim, you, Bones, _and_ a bunch of strangers," Winnie laughed. Riley smiled some then. "So come on, it'll be fun and I'll totally help you find something adorable to wear!"

"Well, I mean… I guess," Riley gave a small shrug, though the look on her face suggested she was all in now. Winnie grinned widely.

"Alright! Let's go!"

* * *

 **Christmas Eve, 2255**

"Hey, Riles, you done in there yet?" Winnie called out, checking herself out in the full length mirror that was on her closet door. She was examining herself, double checking that everything was as perfect as she could get it. Her hair was in an updo, but she kept trying to fix it in little places, making it strategically messy looking. She wore very little make-up, the most notable being her bright red lips. She loved red lipstick and owned at least six different shades.

Win reached down to straighten out her black dress. It was short, but it made her legs look a little longer than they actually were. Her high-heeled boots helped some with that too, as well as making her look a good bit taller than she actually was. All in all, she was actually quite happy with how her outfit had turned out. She had gone with a more edgier look, but that was generally how she liked to look when she was going out. Even to a Christmas party.

"Riley!" Winnie called out once more, after minutes of no response.

"I'm coming!" There was some shuffling before Riley finally opened the door to their bathroom. "I just… I don't know. Do I look okay?" Everything about Riley screamed _unsure_ , from the tone of her voice to her posture. Winnie couldn't help but smile softly at her.

"You look adorable, Ri!" Winnie told her. And she wasn't lying. Riley looked adorable. While Winnifred had gone more edgy, Riley had gone more for adorable and cute and stuck with the theme of Christmas. Hell, she was wearing Christmas bell earrings, but she totally pulled them off. Win thought it was nice to see Riley out of her cadet uniform and all dolled up. It really suited her.

"Are you sure?" Riley questioned, looking down at her outfit. She tugged somewhat at the edges of her dress. It wasn't much longer than Winnie's, but she had opted to wearing tights underneath to keep from showing too much skin. She felt more comfortable this way.

"I'm one hundred percent positive, and the boys will think so as well, just you watch!" Riley's face turned a light shade of pink, and Win wondered what exactly had run through her mind. Was it Jim? She had yet to officially tell Winnie about her crush on Jim, and Winnie hadn't let on that she knew. She wanted Riley to tell her on her own, even if it was kind of obvious (to Winnie, anyway. Jim was notoriously oblivious).

"Speaking of the boys, shouldn't they be here soon?" Riley asked, her eyes darting to look at the clock on her desk. It was nearing the time of the party, and Riley didn't want to be late. This was her first party, after all.

"Yeah, they'll be here soon. Jim takes longer than I do to get ready," Winnie laughed. She swore he did more to his hair than she would ever bother to. "Plus, it's good to be fashionably late. At least, that's what Jim has taught me over the years. Clearly he's the _cooler_ of us twins. Just don't tell him I said that, okay?"

"No problem," Riley laughed, "we wouldn't want his ego to inflate any larger." Winnie joined Riley, covering her mouth slightly to try and keep her laughter under control. No, they really didn't want to inflate his ego any more than it already was.

"Oh!" Winnie's laughter was interrupted by a knock on their door. "Looks like the boys are here!" Riley seemed to tense up some as Win made her way towards the door, opening it with a press of a button. She let out a small bark of laughter when she saw them. "And here I thought Jim and I were supposed to be the twins!" There stood Jim and Bones, both clad in leather jackets. Jim had off-setted his outfit with a white tee-shirt underneath, but Bones had seemed to have opted for the all black look. Much like Winnie.

"Yeah, well, Jim refused to change," Bones frowned, shoving his hands in his pockets as the two made their way into the room. Jim placed two bags by Winnie's desk. She assumed it was filled with presents, but tried not to think too much on it.

"I refused to change? Bones, this is my signature look. You should have changed." Winnie just rolled her eyes at their bickering, closing the door behind them. She turned back around and her eyes fell onto Bones once more. It wasn't like it was the first time she had seen him outside of his cadet uniform, but it was the first time she had seen him wearing a leather jacket.

"You know, Bones, I never really took you for the leather type," Win admitted. He turned to look at her, his eyes roaming over her outfit for a split second.

"I could say the same for you," he said as he gestured to the leather jacket that she was wearing. Winnie just smirked.

"I'm a Kirk, Leonard, what else could you expect?" Bones rolled his eyes at her.

"Honestly, I never know what to expect anymore," he mumbled, though Winnie had heard him clear as day. She just laughed in response. She could only imagine the sorts of things that Bones witnessed when hanging around with Jim most of the time. His expectations should have dramatically lowered already.

"You guys look all edgy and cool… I feel a tad bit overdressed now," Riley's voice broke through even though it sounded meek and unsure once more. The other three quickly turned to look at the brunette and they did not hesitate to voice their protests.

"What? No! You look adorable!" Winnie told her once more. The look on Riley's face suggested that she wanted anything but to look adorable in that moment. The other three looked badass and she didn't want to be the one who looked _adorable._

"Kid, you're the classiest of all of us. When we walk into that party, nobody's gonna look twice at us because we're all dressed similarly. They're gonna be looking at you, because you stick out," Bones told her. Riley's eyes widened.

"I stick out?" Her voice cracked as she questioned him. Winnie elbowed Bones hard in the ribs. Telling her she stuck out wasn't the way to go about it.

"Ow! What, no, I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that- I, well," Bones fumbled to find the right words. He just wasn't good with this sort of thing. He never had been.

"What Bones here is trying to say," Jim finally spoke up, a smile on his lips, "is that you look beautiful. Everyone's eyes will be on you because you're the most gorgeous of us all." Winnie smiled when she noticed Riley's cheeks flush.

"Exactly, Riles," Win told her. She moved towards the brunette and linked arms with her. It was nice wearing higher heels than Riley, as now Winnie was close to her height now. "So chin up, and let's go turn some heads."

Riley seemed a lot more at ease, and Winnie had a feeling it was mostly because of what Jim said. Though, she wondered if Jim had any inkling as to just how much his words had affected Riley. Could he really be that oblivious? As the girls made their way forward, Winnie reached out with her free hand and grabbed Bones by the shirt. She pulled him close to her as they walked.

"When this is all done, we're working on your bedside manner, _doctor_ ," she told him with a frown, her eyes glaring daggers into him. Honestly, he was a doctor, how could he be so bad at talking to people? She released him from her grip and continued on, leaving behind a mildly frightened Bones.

"Holy shit," Bones let out a breath as he straightened his shirt, "your sister is kind of scary."

"Yeah, I could have told you that one Bones," Jim laughed, patting him on the back. "Come one, we better catch up with them." And with that, the four of them left for the Christmas Eve party.

* * *

The party was decently big by the time the Kirks, Bones, and Riley got there. People were in and out of a handful of open dorms, and there was a large amount of people mingling in the hallway. There was an array of people dressed to the nines and people wearing ugly Christmas sweaters. Christmas music echoed from one of the dorm rooms, getting everyone in the spirit.

"Not a bad turnout," Winnie commented as she squeezed through a small crowd blocking part of the hallway. Jim was close behind her, followed by Riley and Bones.

"This is pretty tame compared to the parties during the semester," Jim told her. She could believe it, and she was glad that she didn't go to those. They sounded far too crowded for her tastes. She mostly preferred more intimate affairs, unlike Jim. For him, the more crowded the better. He also loved it when it was loud - so loud that you couldn't hear one another. Winnie didn't see the fun in that, but to each their own, she supposed.

The group found an empty spot to stand, having a nice view of everyone. The music was at a decent volume, allowing for them to hear it, but not have to yell over one another. "Anyone want anything to drink? It looks like they've got eggnog, probably alcoholic." Winnie scrunched up her nose at Jim's suggestion. She couldn't stand eggnog.

"If they have any straight rum or whiskey, I'll take that. If not, anything that's _not_ eggnog will be fine," Winnie said, leaning up against the wall. If Jim was offering to go get them drinks, she would gladly get comfortable where she was.

"I'll try a glass of eggnog," Riley told Jim, a small smile on her face. It was Christmas, and Riley felt drinking some eggnog would put her even more in the Christmas spirit. She just hoped she'd like it.

"Yeah, and I'll have a beer," was Bones' reply as he followed Winnie in leaning against the wall. Jim let out a laugh.

"And who do you think is going to help me carry all of these drinks?" Jim questioned before giving Bones a quick smack on the chest. "C'mon, Leonard, let's go get these girls their drinks!"

"Are you kidding me? Why can't you just take one of the girls?" Bones grumbled as he followed behind Jim. The girls giggled as the two continued to argue about it until they were out of earshot.

"So, this isn't too bad of a party," Winnie commented, throwing a smile towards Riley. She still seemed a bit nervous, but had since relaxed some. Win figured Jim's reassurance of her appearance had a huge part to play in that.

"Yeah, I'll admit, I thought it was going to be more crowded… and louder," Riley admitted. Although there was still a good amount of people who were here, it wasn't too bad. If they wanted to, they could easily maneuver around and mingle. And she had expected to be trying to yell over music just to have a conversation.

"Yeah," Winnie agreed, "I'm glad with how it turned out." She allowed now for her eyes to scan what little of the crowd she could see. She recognized a few people, though she couldn't name most of them. Just people she had see in class. Win was so focused in class, she had rarely spent time making friends with the people she shared it with. The only people she ever really talked to in her classes were Uhura, whom she was becoming quite good acquaintances with (Winnie wouldn't go so far as to say friends, but there was a good potential there for a better relationship), and Greg, whom she was always actively trying to avoid. Neither seemed to be here, thankfully for the latter. She knew Greg had gone home for the holidays, as he had told her numerous times about it.

"Earth to Winnifred." Winnie was brought from her thoughts to see that Jim was holding a red plastic cup out for her. She smiled, taking it graciously. With one quick swig, she noticed it was rum. _Thank god._ "I see you already have your head in the stars."

"Oh hush, I was just thinking," she told him. When he questioned her on what she was thinking, she said nothing, just took a nice long swig of her drink. "So, was there anything interesting when you guys went out to look for drinks?"

"Not really. There was a bar set up in one of the rooms, and it was stocked pretty well. Other than that, just same old same old," Jim shrugged as he brought his cup to his lips. "Although, some girl did hit on Bones."

Winnie nearly choked on her rum. Once she found her composure, she turned to stare at Bones, who was leaning against the wall next to her. He seemed unfazed - or rather, he seemed like he was trying to pretend he hadn't heard anything. "You got hit on?" Winnie asked, partially incredulously and partially impressed.

"Maybe," was all he responded with, eyes focused out on the crowd. Winnie grinned, giving him an affectionate punch on the shoulder.

"Aw, you go Bones! Gettin' some!" This time it was Riley to choke on her drink. She tried to pass it off as if it hadn't happened, but Jim was standing in front of her snickering at her response. Her face reddened, embarrassed that he had seen her, but she soon stuck her tongue out at him.

"What? I'm not _gettin' some_ at all!" Bones told Winnie indignantly.

"Well, not with that attitude you're not."

"She was too young for me. Everyone at this party is too damn young." Bones complained, taking a swig of his beer. Winnie just rolled her eyes.

"With the way you're going on, Bones, you'd think you were ancient or something," Riley giggled.

"Compared to all of you, I feel ancient," Bones mumbled.

"Yeah, well, girls are mighty attracted to you either way Bones. Actually, why don't you come with me? I could use some help," Jim said with a grin, causing Bones to raise his eyebrows.

"What are you going on about?"

"Come help me pick up a chick."

"Dammit Jim! I'm a doctor, not a wingman!" ***** But Bones' protests went unheard as Jim forced him to follow him. Winnie just shook her head, taking another sip of her drink.

"Typical Jim," she muttered. Her eyes glanced over towards Riley. She was looking after the boys, who had since disappeared into another room. Her face looked somewhat crestfallen. _Dammit Jim_ , Winnie thought. Win let out an inaudible sigh before putting on a huge grin. "Hey, Riles, let's go find somewhere we can dance! Just because it's Christmas music, doesn't mean it's undanceable!"

"What? Yeah, okay." And with that, Winnie drug Riley off to another part of the party, trying to distract her from Jim and the fact that he was hitting on other girls.

* * *

It was getting later in the night. Most parties usually lasted way past midnight, but with it being Christmas Eve and all, people were filtering out earlier. At least, Winnie was totally ready to leave around eleven. She was only mildly tipsy - enough that she staggered some when she walked. She hadn't wanted to get too drunk, not wanting to have a hangover on Christmas morning. The others were in a similar state.

"Jimmy, _c'moooon_ , I want to _gooooo_ ," Winnie pouted up at her twin. Jim let out a groan, unable to resist his sister, especially when she had the whole puppy-dog pout going on.

"Alright, _fine_." He hadn't been having much luck with any of the girls at the party anyway, so he wasn't all that invested in staying anyway. Winnie let out a small giggle and moved towards Bones, grabbing him by his arm.

"C'mon Leo, we're leaving!" She planned on using him to help her walk, her equilibrium thrown off some due to the alcohol, and walking in heels wasn't easy. Bones was a lot steadier than Jim, so she had chosen him to help her out. He didn't even get a say in it, but he didn't seem to mind all that much.

"Finally, I'm exhausted," Bones admitted. He would have said he was too old for staying out like this, but he knew the others would tease him once more about how he wasn't actually that much older than them. He was too tired to even get into it again. These kids made him feel ancient, even when he wasn't.

"Jimmy, Riley, hurry up - _oh my god!_ " Winnie exclaimed as she turned her head back towards Jim and Riley, causing Bones to jump and turn to see what Winnie was freaking out about.

"What're you - _well I'll be damned._ "

"What?" Both Riley and Jim said in unison. Riley's eyes were wide as she looked at Winnie and Bones. What were they going on about? Was something wrong? Did she spill something on her? She instinctively looked down, but was confused when her dress was spotless.

"No, look _up_ ," Winnie prompted. Jim and Riley cautiously looked up and Riley's face turned tomato red. They were standing under a sprig of mistletoe. She couldn't take her eyes off of it even as Winnie dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"Alright, guys, get to the kissin' so that we can get back to the room. I'm tired," Bones tried to hurry them along. Riley's head snapped forward, brought from her thoughts. _They weren't actually going to…_ _ **kiss**_ _were they?_

"Wh-what? N-no, we don't h-have to do that. I mean, that'd be weird right?" Riley stuttered, looking over at James. Admittedly, she _wanted_ to kiss Jim, but this felt strange. And Jim had never shown much interest in her, not in that way, so she felt it was more of an obligation than an actual kiss. Plus… it would also be her _first kiss_. She was nervous as hell.

Jim rolled his eyes at Bones and Winnie. He turned to look at Riley, a smile on his face as he leaned down. Riley's breath hitched in her throat, and she was sure her heart had stopped beating. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but when Jim placed a kiss on her cheek, she was absolutely stunned. She hadn't expected that. Part of her was disappointed and part of her was relieved. Her face was still red and she tried her best to ignore Winnie and Bones complaining that that wasn't a _real kiss_. Jim just shrugged it off, throwing his arm over Riley's shoulder.

"It still counts. Now c'mon, I thought you wanted to leave, Winnie," Jim stated as he started to move forward, Riley moving along with him. She tried not to think too much about how Jim had just kissed her on the cheek or how his arm was wrapped around her shoulder. She was so close to him, she could smell his cologne. _It smelled really good_.

"I do!" Winnie nodded after a moment. She then looked up at Bones and pouted her little puppy-dog pout. " _Bones_ can you carry me?" The groan that she got from the older man suggested that he wasn't going to even try to say no (though that didn't mean he wasn't going to complain the whole time). He knelt down so that she could climb onto his back. "Let's go!" Winnie exclaimed, pointing out ahead of Bones.

The actual walk back to Winnie and Riley's dorm wasn't that long, but with them all being moderately intoxicated made it a little longer. When they finally arrived, it was a relief. Bones gently let Winnie off of his back and she stumbled over to her bed, sitting down so that she could get her heels off. Riley headed straight to the bathroom, ready to get out of her dress and wash her face.

"You guys are staying here tonight, right?" Winnie asked. They had only talked about it once, but Winnie had suggested that they stay the night in their room. That way, they could all wake up and be together on Christmas morning.

"I was just thinking I should head back to my dorm…" Bones shrugged. Winnie frowned.

"Leonard McCoy, don't you dare! Stay here tonight. Riley and I can share her bed and you and Jim can have mine."

"Sharing a bed with Jim? Yeah, no thanks, I'd rather have the floor."

"Well," Winnie thought about it for a moment, "we do have some extra blankets in the closet. We can make up a bed for you on the floor." Winnie stood up from her bed, glad to be free of her heels. She moved over to Jim, turning around to wordlessly suggest he help her unzip her dress. She'd change once Riley got out of the bathroom.

"I… was kidding…" Bones sighed.

"Bones, I swear if you make my sister upset on Christmas, I will hurt you," Jim told his older friend as he unzipped the back of Winnie's dress. Bones frowned and finally gave in after a minute, leaving a very triumphant grin on Winnie's face.

"Awesome! I'll have Riley get it started for you," Winnie grinned as she went over to the closet. She first grabbed the blankets, throwing them onto her bed, before she grabbed her pajamas. "Do you guys have anything to wear?"

"Yeah," Jim told her as he made his way over the bags he had placed by Winnie's desk earlier. Winnie could see there were presents inside, but also some spare clothing. She nodded, glad they had at least come prepared. They could change once she was done. She was really desperate to get out of her bra.

"Hey Riles, can you start to make up a bed for Bones?" Win questioned as she walked past the brunette and into the now unoccupied bathroom.

"I can do it, really," Bones mumbled, but Riley just smiled at him. She'd at least help him out. It was really no problem at all.

Within the next twenty minutes, everyone was changed into more comfortable clothing and situated. Bones had a makeshift bed on the floor to the left of Winnie's bed, where Jim was lying. Riley and Winnie were laying on her bed. The beds themselves weren't all that big, but just enough that two people could fit on it without being completely uncomfortable.

The room was quiet and relatively dark. The only light came from the small fake Christmas tree that Winnie had put up next to her desk. Underneath and around the base were Christmas presents. Riley and Win had put theirs out earlier on Christmas Eve. Bones and Jim both had theirs in bags next to it. Everything would be ready for them tomorrow morning.

Winnie wasn't able to fall asleep though. She could hear Riley's steady breathing next to her, and Bones had somewhat of a snore going on - it was actually kind of funny, and she was making note to bring it up when he was awake. Win stared out to the bed beside her, trying to see if Jim was awake or not. She pursed her lips before she slipped off of Riley's bed and made her way across the small gap towards her own.

Jim's back was to her and so she gently reached out and poked at his shoulder. There was a sigh of relief as Jim turned around. "What'cha need, Win?" He questioned, his words somewhat slurred due to being tired.

"We almost forgot," she told him softly as she climbed onto the bed. Jim sat up, rubbing at his eyes. He was about to ask _forgot what?_ when Winnie placed a small present into his hands. He looked down at it for a minute before he smiled softly. _Oh, that._

Every year for the past eleven years, the twins had always gotten each other gifts to open up on Christmas Eve. It was usually something little and funny and, almost every time, it was a Christmas ornament. Although it was now Christmas - the clock having gone past midnight - Winnie figured it still counted, because both were awake and it was dark outside.

Jim quietly opened up the neatly wrapped present and let out a small laugh. It was, with no surprise, a Christmas ornament. This year's ornament was of a hand with the middle finger raised. "That's really fitting," he told her, causing her to tilt her head to the side curiously.

"Why's that?" Jim wasted no time reaching out to his bag to grab his present for her. The second she opened it, she threw her hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter. It was a red ball ornament with silver glittery words scrawled across it: _Merry Fucking Christmas._ "It's absolutely perfect, Jimmy." She grinned up at her twin.

"Yeah, I thought so. Just wait until you open your present tomorrow. I think you'll really like it."

"I think you'll like mine more," Winnie smirked. Jim cocked an eyebrow.

"Winnifred Valeria Kirk, are you turning our gift-giving into a competition?" Jim questioned her, his voice taking on a pretend incredulous tone.

"Why, James Tiberius Kirk, I believe I am!" Winnie quickly shut up, though, when Bones started to stir next to them. The twins stayed quiet for a moment before laughing. Winnie's voice dropped to a low whisper. "I can't believe we've finished our first semester at Starfleet. I can't believe this is our first year away from home for Christmas."

"I know. It's kind of weird," Jim admitted. Change was weird, but this was a good weird.

"Well," Winnie smiled softly, "Merry Christmas Jimmy."

"Merry Christmas Win."

* * *

 **Christmas Day, 2255**

"So, how should we go about this? Should one person give all of their presents out at once or should we give one person all of their presents?" Winnie questioned once everyone was (more or less) awake and sitting around the tree. It was quite early in the morning, and it had taken everyone a good bit to get away from their groggy states.

"Let's give one person all of their presents," Bones yawned, "It'll go by quicker and then we can go get breakfast."

"That's hardly the Christmas spirit, Bones," Riley giggled, but nonetheless agreed. The academy was doing Christmas themed meals all day, and she was really excited about it.

"So," Jim spoke up now, "who do we start with?"

"Riley!" Winnie exclaimed. She was really excited to give Riley her present.

"Jesus, Win, why is this the only day you're actually a morning person?" Jim questioned as he rubbed at his ear. He knew he should have sat next to Riley instead of Winnie; it would have been a lot less damaging to his ear drums.

"Sorry," Winnie said, though the grin on her face suggested she felt anything but, "I definitely think we should start with Riley." And with that, the blonde handed over her present.

Riley was amazed with the gifts her friends got her. She had told them that she hadn't really wanted anything, because she hadn't been able to think of anything that she wanted. She wasn't exactly used to doing this whole gift exchange with a group of people. She gave each present she received ample amount of attention, _oohing_ and _ahhing_ over them.

From Winnie, she got a leather bound journal. It was honestly one of the most beautiful things she could have gotten. She could already think of all the things she was going to write in it. Now she just needed to get a really nice pen, and she'd be set! She thanked Winnie with a giant hug, telling her it was the most thoughtful gift she had ever gotten.

From Jim, she got a necklace with a galaxy pendant. It was gorgeous, and something she was sure she'd wear as much as possible. She tried it on immediately, with the help of Jim clasping it for her. Her eyes had lit up when she was wearing it. She would honestly cherish it forever.

Bones handed his present over with some grumbling of " _I can't fucking believe it."_ When she opened it, she realized why. With a laugh, she revealed it to be a necklace with a very similiar galaxy pendant. It differed a bit in color, but the boys had definitely gotten the jewelry at the same store. Riley didn't mind, though, because she thought they were both absolutely gorgeous and promised she'd wear them equally.

Next, Winnie insisted they give Bones his presents. Bones had told them that they really shouldn't have gotten him anything, because there was nothing he wanted. He would have been content with just spending Christmas morning with them (not that he would actually tell them this).

Bones opened Jim's gift with a straight face, though the girls soon dissolved into a fit of giggles. It was a mug that said _Dick_ across it, however, the _D_ was the handle. It was clever, Bones had to admit, and after a moment, he cracked a smile.

From Riley, Bones received a flask that said _nerve tonic_ on it. She told him it was to help him when he actually had to go into space. The others laughed. Bones agreed that it was a very practical gift and that he would probably use it a lot. " _Just not too much, okay. Don't want you to be drunk all the time."_

Bones had been absolutely floored by Winnie's gift. All of them had a price limit when it came to gifts. That way no one got anyone anything too expensive. When Bones opened her gift, he was sure she had spent way too much money on him. That was, until Winnie reassured him that she got it refurbished. It had been a music player with wireless headphones. " _I got it used. I thought it could help you when you were getting ready for surgery or whenever we go into space. I'll help you load it with some music later, if you want."_ It was probably one of the best gifts he had gotten in a long while.

While Bones was still fawning over his new music player, the group handed their gifts towards Jim. Winnie was squirming when he reached for her gift. She was absolutely sure she'd beat him out on best present, even if she had yet to open hers. " _Jesus Christ, are these actually CDs?"_ Was what Jim exclaimed when he noticed she had gotten him a collection of Beastie Boys CDs. She had found them in the same place she had gotten Bones' music player, and thought that it was the perfect gift for Jim. Especially since he had recently acquired an old CD player.

Jim wasn't sure if any of the other gifts would be able to top Winnie's. When he opened Riley's, he was quite in awe. It was a beautiful antique pocket knife. Flipping it open revealed it to be in fantastic condition. And it was small enough that Jim could wear it on his person without anyone knowing. Jim was sure to keep it on him at all times. Not to use or anything, but because he thought it was honestly really amazing.

Jim laughed when he opened his present from Bones. It was a starship bottle opener. Nothing all too spectacular, but it made him laugh all the same. He thanked Bones and told him he would be sure to use it frequently.

Now that Winnie's gifts were all given out, she felt calmer. She had been waiting on that for weeks now, and everyone had seemed awfully pleased when they had opened them. It had honestly slipped her mind that she was going to receive gifts now too until Riley passed Winnie her present.

From Riley, Winnie got an extensive book on the Vulcan language. She had been talking about Vulcan for over a month now, saying how she had really wanted to learn it. So far, all of her required classes times interfered with the Vulcan class. Now she would be able to learn it on her own! It was absolutely the best gift she could have ever asked for! She'd probably even start using it later that night!

From Jim, she got a beautiful antique pocket watch. It was silver and gorgeous and attached to a silver chain. She flipped it over and over in her hands, examining every last inch of it. She was actually quite amazed with it, and thanked Jim profusely. " _Although, I still think I won!"_ She just couldn't let that go.

Winnie wasn't expecting much from Bones, but not in a bad way. Bones was a simple man, and she thought her gift from him would be pretty simple. Still, he had seemed to have done a good job with Riley, even if Jim had gotten her something similar. When she opened her present, she was in complete shock with how lovely it was. It was simple, yes, but gorgeous. It was a silver neuron necklace. " _Well, since you're into the brain and all that shit. It made sense."_ She put it on immediately and loved it.

Everyone was extremely happy with their gifts, having gotten more than they could have ever asked for. Bones was trying to figure out his music player while Winnie was flipping through her book on Vulcan. Jim was admiring his pocket knife, flipping it open and closing it once more. Riley's eyebrows knitted together, however, as she noticed something. There was one more present under the tree.

"Wait, who is that for?" She asked, reaching out to grab it. It was very light and soft.

"Oh, I forgot about that. I saw that in the same place I saw Jim's gift and I thought it'd be funny. It's for the twins," Bones said after he looked up.

"For us?" Bones just shrugged.

"It's a gag gift. Just open it." Jim gestured for Winnie to do the honors. After tearing away the paper, it was revealed to be a shirt. Her eyebrows furrowed, wondering how it could be for the both of them until she held it up.

"This is our Get Along shirt," Winnie read out loud. It was what was written on the shirt, which was big enough to fit both of them inside of it. "Really Bones?" She exclaimed. Bones just smirked and shrugged once more. Riley was trying to hold back her laughter.

"Hey, why don't you guys try it on?" Winnie threw the shirt towards Riley, but she ducked out of the way.

"You better keep that around. Never know when you're going to need it next."

"Oh, come on Bones, we don't fight that much," Jim shook his head.

"I don't know about that, Jim. I think Riley would agree with me that you two fight pretty often."

"You do," Riley readily agreed. The twins protested quite loudly, but they knew the two were only joking (somewhat). They might have fought a lot, but most of the time it was playfully. Jim honestly couldn't remember the last time he and Winnie had had an honest to god fight. It might have been back in high school, and he had felt absolutely horrible about it. He had made it a point to not fight with her ever again. Not for real.

"Okay, so can we go and get breakfast now?" Bones questioned, his stomach agreeing with him as it growled loudly. The others agreed and they set out for the cafeteria. They were halfway across the campus when they looked up to the sky in wonder.

" _Is that snow?"_ Little snowflakes began to fall from the sky. It was a wet snow, something that probably wouldn't last very long, but it made Winnie smile all the same.

"Well I'll be damned." Everyone had had their doubts about snow on Christmas (or at all), but here it was just like Winnie had wished for.

"Merry Christmas everyone," Winnie grinned, unable to take her eyes off of the sky.

" _Merry Christmas."_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _And that's the end of the chapter! My god, that took me forever to write! And it's so long!_ _7104 words!_ _I kept writing like a couple hundred of words and then like lost what I was going to say. It was such a pain. I have a feeling certain parts of this story seem kind of rushed (especially the ending), and I think that's mostly because I was really trying to get this out as quick as possible, but there was just_ _ **so much**_ _to write. I debated splitting it into two chapters, but I really didn't want to. So I didn't, haha._

 _Also, I was going to ask you guys if you'd be interested if I made a tumblr for this fic, where I would post moodboards, headcanons, graphics, maybe even videos if I get around to making any. It'd just be a place where I can post little things that might not make it into the fic and whatnot. I'll also be able to keep you guys updated when I'm working on chapters and how long it might be and you can ask me any and all questions. I was going to ask you what you thought of the idea, but I may or may not have already made the tumblr. o3o So, if you're curious, it's ri-olozhikaik (dot tumblr dot com). There's not much yet, but I'll definitely start adding more to it soon._

 _xoxo_

 _ *****_ _this Bones line was written by datajana. I laughed out loud when I read it and knew I had to use it in this chapter! It was perfect!_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note:**_

 _Holy smokes! It has been waaaaay too long since I have updated, and I am soooo sorry! I started up school again which kind of took up all of my time and energy (plus my job). This chapter was also much harder to write, often draining me after writing a little bit, because while the last chapter was light-hearted and fun, this one was a lot more intense. It deals with some mention of verbal and physical abuse, so if that bothers you, this is your warning! I will try to warn when things get a little darker. Please let me know if you want me to warn you about more specific triggers, and I absolutely will at the beginning of the chapters. Now, onto reviews!_

 _Datajana: It was absolutely fantastic! xD And yeah, Jim is… very oblivious. Poor Riley. It's gonna be a while until he actually realizes it._

 _DarkShipsSailHere: Me too! Spock will finally be making an official appearance in the chapter after this one, so I am excited for that. And Winnie will not be replacing Uhura. This is a pretty slow burn, and Win and Spock will not actually get together until after STID. Spock and Uhura are going to be a couple still up until around that point. Mostly I want to establish a good friendship for Winnie and Spock first (although, Winnie's going to start to develop a mild crush pretty quickly before totally getting rid of it for a while. You'll see as the chapters go on)._

 _autobotavenger: Sorry you had to wait so long, but I'm glad you love it! Xoxo_

 _RoxanneRay: Ahaha, I love Bones. He was trying to be nice! He just has no bedside manner. xD I imagine that Jim respects her, if that makes sense, and so the kiss on the cheek was sort of showing that? As for whether he senses she is inexperienced / likes him, that is a good question! He's pretty oblivious to her feelings, but I do think he senses her inexperience. She's such an innocent smol baby. Ugh, I love her, ahahaha._

 _Alrighty, now, without further ado! Let's get this chapter rolling!_

 **Starfleet Academy. April 27, 2256.**

Winnie let out a noise of frustration as she slammed her book shut. She slumped back into her seat, an annoyed look forming on her face. Her fingers tapped on her desk before she grabbed the now shut book and chucked it across the room with a yell.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Riley questioned, having entered the room just in time to see the book land by the closet with a loud thud. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she moved to grab the fallen book.

"I don't understand!" Winnie exclaimed, "I just can't seem to get it right!" Riley deduced, from looking at the cover, that Winnie was having difficulties with her Vulcan. She had been voicing her frustrations for some time now about the language, but this was the most animated she had been thus far.

"Still having trouble?" Riley asked even though she knew the answer. Winnie let out another noise of frustration as she buried her face in her hands. She stayed like that for a moment before throwing her hands down and standing out of her chair. She just couldn't stay still.

"I've always been good with languages!" Win exclaimed, "I've always picked them up really quickly! I've taught myself Russian, for crying out loud! Russian is a hard language, isn't it? I mean, a lot of people have difficulties with it? I swear I read that somewhere. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's really easy. Maybe I've been fooling myself this whole time."

"Hey, Win," Riley moved forward cautiously. The blonde was pacing back and forth, hands animated. "Russian is difficult to learn, and you taught it to yourself without any help. I think that's an amazing feat. So you're having trouble with Vulcan now, you'll get it eventually."

"You don't understand, Riley, it's been _months_. I don't know why I'm unable to get it."

"Look, finals are coming up, I think you're just stressed. You have such a huge course load. You're taking a lot more classes than the normal student, and two of them are language classes. Winnie, you're mastering Japanese and Andorii. Just give yourself a break. Try and pick it up later, I'm sure you'll get it."

Winnie shook her head. "No. No, if I can't get it now, then I'm never going to get it," she said as she grabbed the book out of Riley's hands. She moved to grab a box underneath her desk. Opening it up, she dropped the book inside and shut the lid. She'd just leave it there to collect dust because clearly she wasn't meant to learn the language.

"Winnie," Riley said softly, but Winnie cut her off.

"Clearly I wasn't meant to learn Vulcan. Whatever. I just give up." Riley watched as Winnie moved to grab her shoulder bag, filling it up with papers and books. As she was putting her PADD in, Riley couldn't stay silent any longer.

"Win, when was the last time you slept?" She watched as Winnie hesitated. It was a split second falter before she continued on packing her bag.

"Last night," Winnie replied as she stood up straight, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'm going to the library. I'll be back later." Riley watched worriedly as Winnifred left the room, knowing full well that the blonde had just lied to her.

 **April 28, 2256**

Mondays were never fun. It meant the start of the week and getting back to school after a nice two-day break. The only nice thing about this Monday was that the rain had stopped. The last couple of days had been overcast and wet, but today the sun had finally made an appearance. Between classes, people were hanging outside to soak up the sun and enjoy what they could of the day.

After her Andorii class, Winnie had the same idea as 95% of the student body. She found a picnic table to sit at, her books spread out before her. She had some downtime before her next class and thought she'd spend it on studying. Usually, she tried to grab a bite to eat, but she hadn't been feeling all that hungry lately.

She was mumbling some of the terms under her breath, highlighting things that might be important. Winnie was so involved in her book that she was unaware of the world around her. She didn't even notice when Riley and Bones, who had come from a class together, sat down at her table.

"Hey Winnie," Bones greeted when he realized she hadn't noticed them. Winnie nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice.

"My god! Bones, you scared the shit out of me," Winnie exclaimed, holding her hand over her wildly beating heart. Winnie missed the look of worry Bones and Riley exchanged.

"Sorry, didn't mean to. What're you studying?" Bones questioned, his voice a lot softer than normal. Winnie hadn't seemed to notice, but then, she hadn't seemed to notice a lot of things as of late.

"Oh, uhm, right now… I'm studying organic chemistry," Winnie told him, flipping a few pages in her book.

"Sounds… fun. Is it difficult?" Winnie looked up, eyes meeting with Bones for a moment. She shook her head before looking back down at her book.

"No. No, not really. I still have a few more chemistry classes to take. I can do it. This one isn't hard. The other ones might be a bit more difficult…" her voice trailed off as she took her highlighter to her book once more. She also had to study for her calculus class and her Japanese class, both of which had tests later that week. She also had a five-page paper to write for her Andorii class and a ten-page paper to write for her abnormal psychology class due within the next two weeks. That was on top of the other classes she was taking, which just required the normal amount of studying. Those were lower on her list, however. She didn't worry so much about them.

" _Do you see what I mean… I don't know… what should we…?"_

" _Maybe we should… Jim…?"_

" _Yeah… Know what to do…"_

Bones and Riley were talking quietly amongst themselves, but Winnie was able to tune them out pretty well. She needed quiet, after all, to study. Of course, maybe being outside wasn't the best choice for that, but it had been so stuffy inside and so nice outside. She couldn't pass up the opportunity to get some fresh air.

" _Hey, Frank, catch!"_ Winnie's head snapped up and her body went rigid. It didn't go unnoticed by Bones and Riley. Winnie's eyes were wide and she was scanning the crowd desperately. _It couldn't… he couldn't… where was he?!_

"Winnie… are you okay?" Riley broke Winnie from her thoughts. Win's eyes had rested on a man not much younger than she was catching a football. She tried to rationalize that that was the Frank that had been mentioned. It had to be. Right? That was the most logical explanation.

Win took a small breath, composing herself. She turned to look over at Riley, studying her face for a moment. She offered the brunette a small smile and nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah I'm okay." Winnie started closing up her books, suddenly not feeling like being outside. It felt like her skin was crawling. She had to get away from here. "I'm going to go grab a bite to eat. I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Wait, Winnie," Riley started as Win stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder and grabbing her extra books and folders. Winnie hesitated for a moment before she threw another smile her way.

"I only have a little bit of time before my next class. If I want to get something to eat, I have to do it now. Sorry." She was lying. She wasn't going to go get something to eat. She was probably going to go hide out in the library for a little.

Winnie had made it maybe two feet before her trek was interrupted. She was so focused on her task at hand, eyes glued forward, that she hadn't noticed the football hurtling through the air towards her. She had heard the cries of _watch out!_ 's but she hadn't paid them any mind. She didn't think they had been meant for her in the first place.

Papers flew everywhere as the football collided with Winnifred's shoulder. She stumbled to the right, her footing getting away from her. The next thing she knew she was on the ground, wincing as pain shot up her back and her shoulder throbbed. Everything had moved so fast that she couldn't see straight, everything a blurry and bright mess. The first thing that came into focus was a hand outstretched to her.

Winnifred's eyes took a moment to focus and she soon found the young man who had caught the football earlier leaning over her, his hand outstretched for her to take ahold of. "Are you okay?"

"Jesus, Frank, way to not catch the ball!"

"Come off it, Cory, you threw it way too hard!" The man who was leaning over her, Frank, threw over his shoulder. Winnie was trying to find her breath, which had apparently gotten away from her. When Frank turned back around to face her, he pushed his hand closer to her ever-so-slightly, urging her to take it. Winnie tensed, eyes trained on the hand before something in her snapped.

"Don't touch me!" She slapped his hand away, causing him to jump back. She could vaguely hear Riley and Bones calling out to her. She felt hands on her, trying to help her up, but she freaked out. She kept calling out _Don't touch me! Get your hands off of me! Don't touch me!_ People were staring, but she wasn't aware of them. She just kept calling out until her voice became hoarse. " _Jim!_ "

* * *

"Jim, she just completely lost it in the middle of the campus. I've never seen anything like it," Riley frowned, worry etched into her small features. Riley, Bones, and Jim were standing by the door of Riley and Winnie's dorm. Winnie was lying in her bed, having been sedated by Bones roughly twenty minutes ago in the courtyard. He had carried her here while Riley had run off to get Jim.

"Okay, tell me again how it happened. Don't leave out any details." Jim's eyes were trained on his sister, watching her chest rise and fall slowly. She looked so at peace now, it was hard to believe that she had had a mental breakdown less than an hour ago.

"-and this guy, what was his name, Bones?"

"Frank, I think." Jim's head snapped up, his eyes looking from Bones to Riley.

"Frank? Are you positive?" _Well shit_ , Jim thought. That would explain it. Well, most of it. He honestly couldn't remember the last time Winnie had freaked out like this, probably back when they were still in high school. It had become so infrequent since they moved out of Frank's house that he had thought it had gone away completely. Apparently, it had not.

"Yeah, why?" Bones questioned, not understanding the importance of the guy's name. Jim stayed silent, unsure if he should even mention anything. He debated just leaving it be and walking over to his sister, stroking her hair and waiting for her to come to. That seemed like the better option, but he had come to know Bones and Riley pretty well. They wouldn't let him stay in his silence, especially not after having witnessed the scene in the courtyard.

"Growing up, our mom struggled to put food on the table and keep a roof over our head. She was a single mother of three kids and her job required her to be off planet most of the time. She couldn't do it alone, so she asked for help from her brother, my and Winnie's uncle, Frank.

"Honestly, I don't really know what Frank's deal was. I don't know if he's always been a dick or if he just really hates kids. Either way, whenever he was stuck with us and our mom was off planet, he was always in a horrible mood. Winnie and I followed his rules religiously throughout our childhood, too afraid to disobey him. He was verbally abusive, telling us we didn't matter or that we were worthless. Sam couldn't handle it and, when Winnie and I were eleven, he left.

"After that, I became more reckless and, you know Winnie, she followed suit. We thought Frank had been bad when were following his rules; he got worse when he started breaking them. It affected Winnie the most, honestly. The way he would bring her down. He'd tell us we weren't smart or that we were good for nothing or that we would never accomplish anything in our lives. It rolled off of my back, but Winnie? It's why she's so insecure when she feels like she's not understanding something. I think she hears Frank's voice in the back of her head, telling her that she's never going to amount to anything and that she can't do anything right."

"So that's why she got so upset over not understanding Vulcan," Riley commented softly, her dark eyes falling onto the sedated blonde.

"So Frank's a douchebag who berates kids. I get why you'd have some problems, but she freaked when she was touched, Jim. That doesn't sound like classic symptoms of just verbal abuse," Bones frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. Concern was etched all over his face as he kept his gaze on Jim. Jim's eyes never left Winnie's form.

"Frank liked to drink, a lot. I took the brunt of whatever he dished out, but I couldn't always protect Winnie. It wasn't as frequent as his verbal abuse, but… I guess it really only takes a few times to really mess with you." Jim sighed, his eyes finally lowering to the ground. He reached up and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Jesus Christ," Bones mumbled under his breath. He reached his hand up, stroking at his chin. Had this little freak out not happened, he would have never thought that anything like this had happened to either of the twins. Then again, it wasn't as if it was something that could easily be spotted, especially years after the fact.

"What about your mom?" Riley questioned, her voice almost as soft as a whisper. It was like she was afraid to speak any louder.

"I don't think she ever knew what happened. Frank never reared that ugly head of his when Ma was around. I mean, I don't think there was ever a time when Frank was pleasant, but he kept his words and hands to himself when she was around." Jim shifted from one foot to another. It wasn't particularly easy for him to talk about all of this. He was sure it hadn't affected him the same way it had affected Winnie, but he wasn't the type of person to go around sharing all of the bad shit that happened in his childhood. Even to close friends. "I think Sam tried to tell her a few times, but I don't think there was that great of communication between the two of them. I never said anything. Ma always thought I had gotten into a fight. I think Winnie was too afraid. We were kids. We didn't know how to react."

Riley reached out, gently placing a hand on Jim's arm. Jim's eyes rose and met hers. "It's not your fault, you know that, right?"

"I know that," Jim reassured her. His eyes left hers, falling back onto Winnie. He wondered, though, if Winnie knew that. It was then that Winnie started to stir. A soft moan emitting from her throat as she shifted on the bed. Jim wasted no time making his way over to his sister.

Jim lowered himself down onto the bed, sitting next to Winnie. Her eyes fluttered open and he could see her trying to make sense of what she was seeing. " _Jimmy?_ " Her voice was soft, cracking somewhat. She let out a groan this time, her body suddenly feeling very sore.

"Hey, Winnie. How are you feeling?" Jim asked her softly, reaching out to gently run his hand over her hair.

"I'm kind of sore… and my mouth is dry. What happened?"

"You don't remember?" He questioned. She looked back up at him, her vision starting to focus more now. She tried to think of what had happened, but nothing concrete was coming to her. She shook her head. "Does getting hit with a football ring any bells?"

"A football…?" Winnie's eyes widened then as the memory came flooding back. "Oh god. Oh god. Oh… Jimmy, I… thought he was here. I thought Frank was here."

"I know, Win, I know. But he's not, okay? He's not here. He's back in Iowa and that's where he's gonna stay. He's not coming anywhere near you, okay? I won't let that happen." Jim told her, his other hand grasping hers. He squeezed gently and waited for her to confirm that she knew this with a simple nod of her head.

"Jimmy, I feel like I'm losing my mind."

"Shh, Winnie. It'll be okay, I promise. I'll make sure it's okay." Jim continued to stroke her hair as she curled up into a ball. He turned his head, eyes locking with the other two. This was bigger than just Frank, and he wasn't sure what to do. He'd need their help.

 **April 30, 2256**

Winnie let out a small sigh as she rolled over in bed. Her eyes opened slowly, squinting to adjust to the light. Bones sat on a chair by her bed, textbook resting in his lap. She watched him silently for a moment before she decided to speak up. "You on Winnie duty?" Her voice was hoarse.

"Riley's in class and Jim had a test," Bones told her simply, looking up from his book. Since her mental breakdown, Winnie had been holed up in her dorm. The others agreed that she shouldn't rush back to her classes just yet. Unfortunately, they also didn't think it was a good idea for her to be left alone. So each of them took turns watching her. She knew they meant well, but it annoyed her.

Winnifred sat up, resting up against her headboard. She reached for the glass of water on her night table, trying to get rid of the horrible dry mouth she had. "What're you studying?" It was best not to pick a fight about being left alone. She had tried that when they suggested it in the first place, and it was a three on one battle with James Kirk at the helm. There was no winning it.

"Psychology," he told her after a moment. Win's eyebrows knitted together, knowing full well that that was not his practice, and he had often turned his nose up at it. They had frequently had good-natured debates over it. Why in the hell would he be studying psychology?

After placing her cup back onto the night table, Winnie pulled her blanket up around her. "Didn't know you were taking psych."

"I'm not." Winnie gave him a look that suggested he continue speaking. Honestly, it was like pulling teeth getting him to talk sometimes. Bones hesitated for a moment he closed the textbook on his lap. "I am - well, no, we all are very concerned about you Winnie. Something snapped inside of you, and I can't do damned thing to help because I don't know shit about the brain. Dammit, I'm a surgeon, not a psychiatrist," he reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Bones…" Winnie's exterior had softened as she stared at the older man.

"Something is happening in that head of yours. I'm not understanding any of this psychobabble, but I think… I think you need to get some help." Winnie's body tensed up. "You're a psych major, come on, tell me you don't think talking to someone would be beneficial to you."

"I don't know…"

"You have held this in for so long that you snapped. What if it happens again Win? What are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to help? If you don't want to talk to a professional, talk to someone else. Riley, Jim, or even… I'd listen, Win." Winnie looked down, studying her hands as she thought.

"Didn't think I'd ever hear you being an advocate for talking to people. You're not exactly one to share your feelings. You are like the king of keeping 'em bottled up." It had come out a bit harsher than she had meant for it to, and she winced at her own words. The word _sorry_ was on her lips, but Bones was quicker than she was.

"This ain't about me, kid. This is about you. I'm not the one who had a mental breakdown in front of the whole school." Winnie remained silent. She wondered if people were talking about it. She was sure they were. Why wouldn't they? "So talk."

"About what?" Winnie finally spoke once more, her eyes rising to connect with his.

"About what's going on in your head. About how you... _feel_." It had been hard for Bones to even say, but he knew it was important for her to talk. She couldn't keep this shit bottled up any longer. She was like a ticking time bomb.

"I feel tired and annoyed and cooped up," Winnie told him, her annoyance clear in her tone.

"Winnie," Bones said sternly. Winnie let out a sigh and straightened herself up.

"I'm stressed out of my mind… and…" she took in a small breath before the dam broke, "clearly I'm not as smart as I like to think I am. I can't even learn Vulcan. Surely it's not that hard of a language, you know? I don't understand why I can't learn it unless it's because I'm stupid. You know, Frank was right. Frank was right all along. I'm just-"

"Winnifred Kirk," Winnie winced as Bones used her full name. It felt like she was a child again, getting scolded by her mother. "That bastard was not right. You are the smartest person I know. You work hard to learn, and it shows in the knowledge you pass on to the rest of us. Ask Riley and Jim, they'll tell you the same damn thing." Win stared at him, her vision going blurry as tears built up in her eyes. She sniffed, trying to hold them back. "That man fucked so hard with your head that you are still feeling it. I need you to see that you are so much more than what he told you that you are."

"I'm not…" Winnie's voice was weak, and she couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She heard the chair scrape against the floor as Bones stood, the textbook falling to the floor with a soft thud. "I'm not."

"You are! Jesus, Winnie," Bones moved against his better judgment and took her into his arms. He wasn't a hugging man, but if anyone needed a hug right now, it was Winnifred Valeria Kirk. She looked so small and helpless, and he hated seeing her like this. This was not the Winnie Kirk he had come to know and love. "You are so much more than him. Please, Winnie, please get help."

Winnie sobbed into Bones' chest. Once the tears had started, she couldn't hold them back. No matter how hard she tried to stop, she couldn't. It got to the point that she wasn't even sure what she was crying about anymore. She just clung desperately to her friend and cried. "Okay," she said after god knows how long. "Okay. I'll talk to someone. I promise."

"That's my girl," Bones smiled softly. "You'll be okay. We're gonna make sure of it, okay?" She nodded into his chest. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that it would be okay. And she knew they'd try their damned hardest to make sure it was, and she wasn't quite sure how she had lucked out in getting friends like them.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _I'm not sure if I'm totally 100% satisfied with the last section of this fic. I'm afraid that Bones is a bit out of character, but I wanted it to be him who told Winnie to get help. Because I feel like Winnie would listen to him the most, honestly. And to hear Bones saying those really nice things about her, I think really would have gotten to her the most. Bones is one of Winnie's closest friends, next to Riley, and I think this is where it really starts their close relationship. In any case, the next chapter shouldn't be quite as heavy! We even get to see Spock in the next chapter, and things will be looking better for Winnie emotionally!_

 _And again, sorry it took so long to update! I think just being super busy paired with the nature of this chapter just really had me not wanting to write it. But it had to be done because it's a major part of Winnie's development._

 _Also! Remember to check out the tumblr I made for the story! I haven't posted there in a while, but mostly because it doesn't have many followers. I try to post updates there when I'm working on chapters, any graphics I make, or even little headcanons I have. So check it out! It's ri-olozhikaik . tumblr . com_

 _xoxo_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note:**_ _I am so sorry I made you all wait so long for chapters, but I'm glad that you guys are still interested! (And honestly, everyone who is following this story, just know that every time I get an e-mail update for this fic I just alskdjalksdj I am just so happy and so grateful. Thank you so much! And I honestly just am in so much awe over the fact that over 100 people follow this story. Thank you so much!)._

 _Nevermorea: She needs so much cuddles and positive reinforcement! Thank goodness she has a good support system! :)_

 _AwesomefangirlOtaku01: I AM ALIVE (altho, some days, that is debatable, lol, school is a bitch). I am so glad you liked it!_

 _inperfection: Thank so much!_

 _datajana: I'm glad you think so, because I was honestly kind of worried about that. And yup! Winnie's emotional side should balance him out - and, actually, that will become a big part later on. And I think you're going to like this chapter then ;)_

 _Now, onto the chapter! I wasn't going to have Spock show up until much later, but honestly I have no self control, and this plot idea came up, so here we go!_

 **Starfleet Academy. September 2256.**

The last couple of months had been quite a long journey for Winnie. She had listened to Bones after her breakdown and gotten some help. It had taken her some time to feel comfortable with the concept (the fact that she was seeing a therapist when she wanted to be one felt strange to her at first). On top of regularly seeing a therapist, she was taking appropriate medication to keep herself leveled. There were still times when everything seemed like too much to bear, but Winnie was lucky enough to have Jim, Riley, and Bones to stand behind her and help her out. She couldn't have asked for a better support system.

It was September now and the new semester was underway. Winnie had taken a full semester's worth of classes over the summer break, as she had done the previous winter as well. Jim was still on his plan to graduate early, and so Winnie was at least trying to get into med school by then, if not earlier. She tried not to push herself too hard, but she also hated to fall behind. She didn't want to fall behind due to mental distress, despite everyone telling her it was okay to take it easy. She figured if she fell off of the wagon again, so to speak, she'd cut back. She just didn't want this to define her.

Win glanced down at her PADD, looking to double check what her next class was and that she was going to the right place. _Advanced Phonology_. She was actually looking forward to this class. She enjoyed her xenolinguistics classes the most, and she considered them some of her easier courses. It allowed her time to relax some while also doing something she loved — learning languages and how they're structured.

As Winnie walked into the lecture hall, she noticed it was already pretty full. She had come to recognize some of the other students, but mostly only by face. She couldn't really tell you most of their names. She wasn't exactly a social butterfly, not like her brother anyway, and hadn't bothered to learn the names of people she didn't regularly see or interact with. And honestly, she spent most of her time in her room or in the library, studying.

With a quick pace, she made her way towards the front of the room. She couldn't help but have a slight deja vu feeling as she slid into the seat next to a familiar looking cadet. "Uhura," she greeted, a smile forming on her face.

"Kirk," Uhura smiled in return. Winnie wouldn't say that she was friends with Uhura, but rather that they were friendly acquaintances. With her being a xenolinguistics major, they often had overlapping classes, and Winnie thought the young woman was interesting and kind enough. Plus, Uhura held no qualms putting Jim in his place, so Winnie couldn't help but like her. Sometimes — well, most of the time — Jim needed to be put in his place, that way his ego didn't get too big. It was already huge enough.

"Are you excited for this class?" Small talk wasn't Winnie's strongest skill, but she still tried to make an effort. It was often the polite thing to do.

"I am. I'm actually aiding this class too," Uhura told the blonde, a giddy grin on her face. Winnie was impressed. A full schedule load and aiding a class as well? That was pretty damn cool.

"Really? That's amazing! I'll be sure—"

"Princess Winnifred!" Winnie was cut off by a familiarly annoying voice. She cringed rather visibly. There was only one person who called her that (well, called her that in all seriousness. Sometimes Jim or the others would tease her about it, but they'd usually get a fist to a sensitive part of their body). Win let out a soft, audible groan as she turned to see Gregory Straub walking her way. The deja vu feeling was getting stronger. It was like her first semester all over again. _Fuck_.

"Call me that again and I'm going to fucking punch you in the throat," Winnie told him through the biggest grin she could muster to put on her face; her voice had that very obvious fake cheerfulness sound to it. Gregory hesitated in front of the seat next to her for a moment before dissolving into a fit of laughter.

"You're hilarious! I don't think I've ever met someone funnier than you, my princess," he laughed. Winnie groaned again, looking back over at Uhura incredulously. Uhura just gave her a sympathetic look, probably partially glad it hadn't been her he had latched onto. You would think after a year of avoiding him at any chance she could and being completely rude to him, Gregory would get the hint. Somehow, though, the more she was mean to him and showed disinterest, the more he seemed interested. One of these days, she was really going to punch him in the throat. She just hoped he wouldn't mistake that for flirting.

"Un-fucking-believable," Winnie muttered to herself as she tried her best to ignore him as he sat down.

"So Winnifred, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to—"

"Shut up, Straub, the instructor is coming in." Winnie was glad to be able to cut him off — again, that sense of deja vu washing over her. At least it would seem that she could always rely on the instructors entering the room to get him to shut up.

Winnie's eyes roamed to where the instructor had opened the door and was making his way towards the podium in the center of the room. Win took in his appearance: black hair that was cut in a very distinctive way and very noticeable pointed ears. It wasn't hard to discern that he was Vulcan, and Winnie found herself straightening up in her seat. She leaned forward slightly with interest. A Vulcan was teaching her advanced phonology class? Winnie couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement. Despite her incident months ago regarding her breakdown, and her giving up on the Vulcan language, she was still very much interested in Vulcans and their culture.

As he got to the podium, he stood straight and looked out at the cadets. His voice was deep and resolute. "Hello, I am Commander Spock, and I will be your instructor for advanced phonology."

* * *

 **Later that day**

Riley jumped as Winnie barged into their room. As Riley swiveled around in her chair, she noticed that Winnie looked like a woman with a mission. She hurried to her desk, dropping down to grab a box from underneath it. "Hey Win," Riley greeted after she settled from her initial start.

"So, you remember how I had given up on Vulcan?" Winnie hadn't even bothered to stop and say hello. She didn't even look up at the brunette as she threw open the lid of the box and rummaged through it. Riley had grown used to this and was no longer offended by it. Winnie sometimes just got preoccupied with certain tasks.

"Yeah…" Riley drug out, her eyebrows coming together in mild confusion. She wasn't quite sure where this was going but watched curiously as the blonde pulled out the thick book that Riley had gotten her the past Christmas. Riley was positive it was the first time she had gotten it out since her incident months prior.

"Well, I think I'm gonna pick it up again." Winnie finally looked over at her roommate, a grin forming on her face. Riley continued to watch her curiously before putting on a smile.

"Really? That's great," and she really thought it was, but she was no doubt curious as to what had brought this about. Winnie nodded, sitting on her bed. She opened the book, looking down as she flipped through the pages. "What changed your mind?" Riley questioned.

Winnie shrugged in response, not looking up from her book as she did so. "I don't know I just…" Riley could see the hints of a smile, one that looked like Winnie was trying to hide. "My, uh, my advanced phonology instructor is… uhm… Vulcan, so I just thought that, like, if I had trouble with any of it… I don't know, I could just ask him or something."

"That sounds like a good idea," Riley smiled. Honestly, she was just glad the blonde had opened the book again. She hadn't expected her to do so. At least, Winnie had vowed to never open it again. Yes, she hadn't been in the best state of mind, but she had stuck pretty steadfastly for months about letting it collect dust. She was stubborn like that. Riley had come to know that that was a prominent Kirk trait.

"Yeah, I don't know. I figured it was worth a shot, y'know?" Winnie shrugged once more. She seemed to be trying to come off as indifferent, but Riley could tell she was pretty excited. She had been living with her for a year now, and she could already pick up on her body language. The attempt at the hidden smile and the way she chewed slightly at her lower lip; the way she fidgeted with the edge of the page as she read it, and the way she swayed her head back and forth ever-so-slightly as if she was listening to music. She looked really excited.

"Really, it sounds like a good idea," Riley reassured her best friend as she uncrossed her legs and stood up. She grabbed her PADD off of her desk. "Well, you have fun learning Vulcan. You'll have to teach me some phrases, 'kay?"

"Yeah, sure," Winnie replied distractedly. Riley didn't mind, and she couldn't help but smile. She made her way across the room and exited out into the hallway, leaving the blonde to her extracurricular studies.

As the door slid closed behind her, Riley opened her PADD up. A few taps later and Jim's face soon appeared on her screen. Her eyes widened, and she could feel her ears turning red almost immediately as she noticed he was not wearing a shirt and water droplets were dripping off of the ends of his hair.

"Hey, Riles, what's up?"

"Jim," her voice cracked, and she felt her face start to flush now. "I just… uhm. I just wanted to… I just wanted to let you know that Winnie is studying Vulcan again!" She averted her gaze from the screen. She heard some rustling coming from the other end of her PADD as Jim moved around.

"Really?" She risked a glance and noticed that he was now sitting down on his computer chair. He had thrown a towel around his neck as if that had made anything better.

"Yup!" She put on a smile, trying not to look like she completely embarrassed by how high her voice had gone. Jim seemed oblivious as always, which Riley felt worked in her favor. It wasn't like she wanted Jim to know she had a crush on him. That would really be embarrassing!

"What made her pick it back up?" He sounded concerned, and Riley felt her heart skip a beat. She thought it was absolutely admirable how concerned Jim always was about his sister.

"Apparently her advanced phonology instructor is Vulcan, and she figures if she has any troubles, she can just ask him." Jim emitted a low hum, leaning back in his chair. He reached up and messed with his wet hair.

"Sounds like she wants to impress him," he said after a moment. Riley pursed her lips, eyebrows drawing together in thought.

"You think so?" She questioned.

"Absolutely," Jim resolved, "Winnie likes to impress people with her knowledge. Hell, she learned sign language because this deaf girl kept coming into the diner where she worked. Winnie has good intentions, and the two did become good friends, but she has this… like… innate need to impress people. She got so giddy and excited telling me about talking with her for the first time." Riley chewed on the inside of her cheek as Jim spoke. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

"She did seem really excited. She was trying to hide it, too."

"Yup, she's totally trying to impress him." Jim nodded. He paused for a second before adding a shrug, "But that's good. I mean, it got her to pick up the book again, right?" Riley just nodded in response. "We'll just have to keep an eye on her, in case we have a repeat incident."

"I agree," Riley gave another nod. Winnie had been doing so well, it would be a shame if she had a relapse. Still, she was glad to see Winnie being excited over Vulcan again.

"Alright. Will you be there at dinner later?" Riley smiled and looked back down at the PADD.

"Yeah, I'll be there tonight."

"Cool, see you then!" Jim's smile was soon replaced by a black screen. Riley's smile widened some as she brought the PADD closer to her body. Jim had such a nice smile.

* * *

 **Late September 2256**

Winnie let out a low groan as she leaned back in her chair, the front legs coming off of the ground an inch. She pursed her lips and tapped her fingers lightly on the table in front of her. "I'm not sure how I'm going to retain this," she admitted, closing her eyes. Maybe if she closed her eyes, all of the books would just disappear.

"You'll get it Win," Bones' voice sounded reassuring. Xenobiology 201 was proving to be very difficult. There were just so many different species to learn about, and it really gave Winnie a headache. If she could have avoided the subject, she would have, but at least she had Bones to help her out. He had taken it and had passed with a B — which Winnie felt she'd be lucky to get.

"Well, I guess I have a great tutor, don't I?" Winnie grinned as she opened her eyes and resumed her original position, leaning over her textbook. Bones looked over at the blonde and gave her a pointed nod.

"You're damn right," Bones agreed. Winnie let out a bark of laughter and glanced at her PADD. It was dawning on nine, which meant Riley's night class was about to get out. Winnie would have had her best friend help her out with her studies — especially seeing as Riley had aced xenobiology with flying colors — but she had taken up a couple of night classes, and that was about the only time that Winnie could study.

"It's almost nine. Wanna finish up here and then meet Riles for dinner?" Winnie questioned. They had been studying for about two hours now, and she was sure she wasn't going to learn anything else tonight. Her brain was fried.

"Yeah, sounds good," Bones agreed. He had been starting to feel hungry anyway, and tonight was pizza night. He just hoped there was actually still some pizza left. As the two began to pack up their books Bones couldn't help but ask, "So, how's your Vulcan coming along?"

"Smooth, Bones," Winnie let out a small laugh. She had noticed that whenever Jim, Riley, or Bones asked her about her studying Vulcan, they were actually subtly asking how she was doing. She knew they were concerned, and she appreciated it, but she also hated them asking if she was okay (and they knew she hated it, which was probably why they had tried this method).

"Oh, come on, I didn't mean it like that!" Bones argued. Winnie looked at him, her eyebrows raised as if to ask _oh, really?_ Bones threw up his hands defiantly. "I was just making small talk. No need to get your damn panties in a twist, my god!" Winnie just laughed once more.

"It's going well, Bones. I'm fine. Really," she told him. To be perfectly honest, Vulcan was proving to be just as hard as she remembered it, but her stress level wasn't quite as high as a couple of months ago. Or at least, she wasn't feeling quite as overwhelmed as last time. She just didn't want to tell them that it was just as difficult, afraid that their worry would magnify.

"You ask your instructor for help yet?" Winnie's eyes narrowed in on the man across from her. She leaned forward, jabbing her finger in his direction.

"What are you implying McCoy?"

Bones couldn't help but smirk at her reaction. "My, getting a little defensive there, aren't we? I can't imagine why."

"I swear to god, you are as bad as Jim sometimes," Winnie groaned as she stood up from her chair, slinging her now packed bag over her shoulder. The two made their way out of the library, arguing over what she had said. Because " _Really, I am nowhere near as bad as Jim!"_ and " _You're just lucky I'm not looking to kill my tutor."_

* * *

 **October 2256**

Class was coming to a close, and Winnie sat, silently chewing at her left thumbnail. The previous class she had handed Commander Spock what she had on her paper so far. She had wanted to get some advice on it before she continued on, as he was rumored to be one of the toughest graders at the academy. Winnie wasn't so worried what he might think of her paper — not that she _wasn't_ worried about that because she was — but more so she was nervous because she had decided that today was the day she would try to use Vulcan with him. She had debated it extensively, and she had been working really hard.

"Do not forget that your research paper is due in two weeks. That is all. Class dismissed." Winnie lingered back as everyone began to file out of the room. Her nerves were getting the better of her, and she was beginning to worry that she might not be able to get the words out. Hell, she'd be lucky if she could speak English.

Win watched as Uhura finished speaking with Spock, probably something to do with her aiding the class. As Uhura left the room, Winnie made her way up to the commander. _Deep breaths, Win._ She told herself. She just had to remain calm, cool and collected. _Easier said than done._

"Commander," Win greeted, bowing her head slightly in respect.

"Cadet Kirk," Spock greeted in return. He wasted no time as he pulled out his PADD, and Winnie felt herself start to fidget. Here came the nerves regarding her paper. She hoped he wasn't going to tear it apart. She had actually worked really hard on it.

"Your beginning is adequate. I have made some notes on what you should focus on and what you should not," he began. It seemed like a good start so far. Adequate was probably a really high compliment in his books. "Your writing is exemplary; however, I would like to see less… how do you humans say? Beating around the bush? Try being more direct and straight to the point." He looked up finally, making eye contact with her.

"Okay, yes, I can do that," Winnie said after a moment, nodding her head. She was sort of in shock. He had called her writing _exemplary_. Of course, he had indirectly told her she was too wordy, but still. _Wow_.

"Are you alright, Cadet?" Spock questioned after a moment, one of his eyebrows raised. Winnie looked back up at him, a smile forming on her face as she gave him a quick nod.

"Yes, I'm fine! I'm good. Thank you, Commander!" Winnie smiled. Spock merely nodded. With a few taps to his PADD, he looked back up at her and replied with,

"I have transferred it back to you with my own personal notes. Do you have any further questions?"

"N-no, I'm good," Winnie told him, glancing down at her PADD, making sure that she received her paper back. She stared at it for a moment, feeling hesitant. Maybe using Vulcan now wasn't that great of an idea? Her nerves were really getting the better of her. She wasn't sure if she could do it. She was afraid she'd say it wrong and he would be offended.

"Then I suppose we are done here."

"Yes, thank you again, Commander Spock." Winnie smiled again. She turned to walk away, but her inner debate was still raging on. Should she do it? Shouldn't she? If she was going to do it, now would probably be a good time. But then again, maybe she wasn't ready.

Taking a deep breath, Winnie turned around to face Spock once more. He looked up from his PADD, one of his eyebrows rising once more in question. Win ran her tongue over her lips, hesitating once more. " _Nemayo_."

Spock just stared at her for a moment, unmoving. Winnie gulped, afraid for a moment that she had broken him. Especially when she saw the sides of his lips twitch upwards for half of a second before returning to their normal place. " _Nemaiyo_ ," he said, correcting her, " _Du stariben Vuhlkansu?_ "

" _Nemaiyo… nemaiyo… nemaiyo…"_ Winnie murmured to herself, trying to ingrain it into her memory. She smiled then up at the Vulcan, face flushing somewhat. " _R-ri ma… maut muhl._ I'm not very good. I mean, I'm trying to learn, but I'm actually really struggling with it." Winnie admitted.

"It was not bad. You just need practice. Are you taking a course on it?" Spock questioned.

"No. I wanted to, but every time they offer it, it interferes with my major classes. I've been trying to teach myself." Winnie shrugged, hugging her PADD close to her body. She felt less nervous now that she had actually tried. It helped that he hadn't been offended by her poor pronunciation.

"That can be very difficult."

"Yeah, hence why I'm struggling," Winnie laughed somewhat. She bit her lip then, her nerves coming back as she wondered whether or not she should ask the next part. Ultimately, she figured, what did she have to lose? "I was… uhm… I was actually wondering, Commander. Uhm. I mean. Please, feel free to say no if this is asking too much. I don't want to intrude or anything! But, uhm, if you had time maybe after classes some nights, or whenever really, maybe… helping me out? Or just, letting me ask you some questions? Because I'm fascinated by the language, and I want to do it justice. I don't think I can get there on my own, and who better to help than a Vulcan, you know? But I don't want to intrude or anything, so please let me know if I am overstepping or asking too much or—" Winnie stopped mid rambling as Spock cleared his throat. Her face turned a lovely shade of red.

"Cadet Kirk." It was coming. He was going to say no. She should have just kept her mouth shut! Why did she always have to do this? She had totally overstepped— "So long as I have all of my work done, I am willing to help you. It will not take precedence over my work, but I can tutor you. How do Monday's and Wednesday's at 2000 sound?"

"Uhm…" Winnie was so in shock she had forgotten her words. Had he just agreed to tutor her? Twice a week? "Y-yeah. Yes. Monday's and Wednesday's at 2000 sounds perf—sounds good. Yeah, I can do that."

"Then it is decided. I shall see you then. _Ma wuh rom gad, ne-lan._ Have a good day, Cadet." And with that, Spock left Winnie alone in the lecture hall. She was absolutely stunned, but slowly excitement began to fill her. She was going to learn Vulcan from Commander Spock! She was honestly so excited she could burst.

 _ **Author's Note:** (I used an English to Vulcan translator (and I also frequently look at Vulcan Language Dictionary). I don't know how ~accurate~ any of it is, so like, bear with me? I'm just trying my best, lol.)_

 _ **Translations:**_

 _ **Nemaiyo**_ _\- Thank you  
_ _ **Du stariben Vuhlkansu?**_ _\- You speak Vulcan?  
_ _ **Ri maut muhl**_ _\- Not very well.  
_ _ **Ma wuh rom gad, ne-lan**_ _\- Have a good day, Cadet._

 _But yeah, wow, there we have it! Woohoo! How excited were you to see Spock? Because I was hella excited! He wasn't even supposed to come in until I got back to the events of the movie, but I honestly couldn't resist this little subplot. Also, Winnie tooootally wants to impress Spock. She loves impressing people; it's like a high to her honestly. xD_

 _Anyway, the question I have rn is as follows: So, we've still got a few more segments of the 'academy days' left (five more chapters, I believe), but I was curious as to how much you were enjoying the breaks from the movie(s)? While I do plan on writing a good amount of each of the movies, do you like that I'm breaking free of them a bit? I have some other things planned between movies to write (like after STID, the Kirks going to a high school reunion and taking both Riley and Spock with them and from there getting little glimpses into their teenage life and seeing more of Winona, because I freaking love Winona so much omg). Let me know your thoughts!_

 _Also, just a reminder to check out this fics tumblr, ri-olozhikaik! I've posted moodboards for some characters, moodboards for chapter summaries, edits, updates, previews, and even a video preview for a Jim and Winnie vid I'm working on if you want to check it out! I also will take any questions regarding the fic and/or characters._


	8. Chapter 8

_**Author's Note:**_

 _Ah. Holy crap. I am soooo sorry that I haven't updated in so long. Honestly, it just became excuse after excuse (school, writer's block, stress, vacations, et cetera). I did keep trying to work on this chapter through it all, but unfortunately it took forever to get out. So, if you could find it in your hearts to forgive me, I would greatly appreciate it!_

 _Nevermorea: Holy. Shit. Honestly, ALL OF YOUR HEADCANONS ARE PERFECT AND I LOVE THEM ALL. LIKE. I JUST. YES! Seriously, this was just the best._

 _StarlitStar: You cannot tell, but I am legit blushing! I am so glad that you like her. Honestly, I was very much afraid of how Winnie would be perceived when I posted this, but you and everyone else who has commented on liking her just alsjdalksjdaklsdj thank you guys so much!_

 _datajana: Riley is the most adorable thing ever, is2g! I need to give her more limelight, and I'm going to try harder for that, so finger's crossed! And I'm so glad! I figured it'd also offer a nice break from most OC fics that strictly only follow the movies. And mwahahahaha, that's the real question! Actually, tbh, I'm still debating which route I wanna take between them. So, we'll find out together! Haha._

 _Tooclosefortety: Thank you so much for the reviews! And yes, I cannot wait to write some Bones and Spock interactions! As for Winnie and Uhura, I definitely think they might be at odds at some points, but they'll definitely be friends! Because I love Uhura and I'd hate for them to be enemies._

 _Jael Rainer: Aw thank you so much! (And cookies always help! lol). And I appreciate the criticism, because Bones is super duper hard to write! So I would appreciate if he does anything super out of character, if you could let me know! Because I really do want to get his character right, but he fights with me all the time! xD_

 _Theresa5155: I very much appreciate your input. I'm sorry that you hate slow burns. I get it, though, it can be frustrating. Hell, it's even frustrating to write. I've had to skip ahead to write some fluffy scenes just to get it out of my system. With that said, however, I'm afraid it will still be a slow burn. I'm sorry! I would just very much like to build up their friendship first. And I'm always afraid there will be Spock/Nyota, but I will try my best not to make it annoying or anything when it comes to the triangle, because it won't be an actual love triangle for too long. Again, though, my apologies. I do hope you keep reading, but I'd understand if you didn't. 3_

 _And thank you to everyone else who reviewed! I know it's been awhile since I've updated, but I really do appreciate the reviews when I get the e-mails letting me know. It makes me try even harder to power through any writer's block I've got!_

 _xoxo_

 **San Francisco, Late November, 2256**

"Try again. _K'shatrisu, ha'kel t'du wilat?_ " Spock directed towards Winnie. They had been studying for almost an hour now and Winnie was pleased with how patient Spock was being with her. She wasn't doing as poorly as she had been when on her own, but she was still struggling some, so she appreciated his patience. It made learning a lot easier, and less stressful.

Win ran her tongue over her lips, forming the words in her head. She took in a deep breath before trying again, " _K'shatrisu… ha'kel… t'du… wilat._ " She found the slower she went, the better her pronunciation was. She just hoped she'd be able to pick up her speed later.

"Better," Spock told her, which seemed to be Spock's way of saying that she had executed it well enough for them to move on. He looked down at his notes, flipping between some pages as he considered where they should go next. Winnie couldn't help but watch him fondly. They had been doing this for a couple of weeks now, and she honestly could not be more grateful towards the vulcan.

"Thank you," Winnie said after a moment, resting her arms on the table in front of them.

"No need for gratitude, I was merely stating that you had spoken it well," Spock did not look up when he responded. Win let out a small laugh and shook her head at the misunderstanding. It was a common occurrence between the two and Winnie figured Spock had a lot of misunderstandings when it came to humans. She wasn't surprised, though, as their cultures were very different.

"No, Spock," Winnie clarified, "thank you for helping me." This time, Spock looked up at her, his eyebrows raised subtly. It was a look that Winnie had decided was the way he expressed curiosity. There were little indications about what Spock was feeling, and Winnie had realized that his emotions were frequently expressed with his eyes and eyebrows.

"You are welcome," he said after a moment before he glanced at his PADD to check the time. "If you do not mind, Cadet, I wish to excuse myself for a moment. Is a break satisfactory at the moment?"

"That's fine, Spock, a little break should keep my mind sharp," Winnie smiled at him. Spock only gave a small nod in return before standing up and leaving their little cubby hole that they had commandeered every time they were in the library.

Winnie's eyes were soon drawn away from Spock's retreating form and towards his PADD, which lit up with an incoming call. She pursed her lips curiously, and she found she couldn't help herself as she leaned forward some to read the name. _Mother_.

His mother was calling.

"Spock," Winnie called out, looking back up to find Spock nowhere in sight. He was gone. Win chewed on the inside of her cheek, wondering what she should do. Her curiosity was still eating at her, wondering for a moment what kind of mother he had. She wondered what kind of family life he had. What were they like? What was his mother like? Was his mother just like him?

Going against her better judgment and pulling a rather Jim move, Winnie reached out and pulled Spock's PADD her way. With only slight hesitation, Winnie pressed the answer button and an older woman with very distinctively human features popped up on the screen.

"Oh," the older woman exclaimed, "I'm sorry! I thought I was calling my son, but I seem to have gotten the wrong PADD! I apologize."

"N-no, you have the right PADD," Winnie managed to get out, hoping to catch her before she hung up. She was just in a state of shock over Spock's mother looking, and sounding, awfully human. "Spock just got up to relieve himself, I think. He's tutoring me; we're just taking a break."

"I see," the woman smiled. Winnie soon found her cheeks reddening, suddenly thinking she shouldn't have impulsively answered the PADD. She was probably breaking so many professional boundaries right now.

"I'm sorry," Winnie blurted out, an awkward laugh following, "I probably shouldn't have answered. I just… I just didn't want you to think he was ignoring you or something. And I guess my curiosity got the better of me!"

"It's no worry dear," Spock's mother laughed lightly, "I rarely get to see the people my son interacts with, so it's nice to know he actually has friends. I'm Amanda, by the way."

"Winnie Kirk," she introduced herself, feeling a little more at ease with the woman. Amanda seemed friendly and warm; Winnie thought she was like a more relaxed version of her own mother. Amanda held up the appearance of being docile and friendly, whereas Winona was frequently brash and intimidating. Deep down Winnie felt like the two would get along. Or maybe she was just missing her mother and thinking too much about it. She'd have to call Winona later.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Winnie. So, what is my son tutoring you in?" Amanda questioned. Winnie relaxed back into her seat, willing to continue the conversation with Spock's mother.

"Vulcan, actually." Winnie watched as the woman's brown eyes lit up.

"Oh really? And how is that going?" Amanda questioned with genuine interest.

"Well, it's kind of hard, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. Spock is a really good teacher," Winnie admitted, a smile forming on her face once more. Amanda smiled in return, nodding her head some.

"Yes, Vulcan can be hard. I remember first trying to learn it. Oh, I had such a difficult time, but Sarek, Spock's father, was very patient with me," Amanda gushed some. Well, if Amanda's appearance and mannerisms hadn't given away the fact that she was human, that had. She had confirmed Winnie's thoughts, which now left Winnie with the information that Spock was half human. _Interesting._

"It must run in the family — or it must be a vulcan trait because Spock has been just as patient with me. Thank goodness, because I was having a hell of a time teaching myself!" Winnie chuckled some. Amanda laughed in return, holding her hand delicately in front of her mouth. Winnie couldn't help but think of how _cute_ Amanda was. Really, she was adorable! To be honest had Amanda not introduced herself as Spock's mother, she would have never guessed.

"So what is my son teaching you right now?" Amanda questioned. Winnie readjusted herself, crossing her legs on the chair as she got more comfortable.

"Right now we're going over basic questions, like where are you from and how to get to certain places," Winnie told her. She quirked one of her eyebrows — making her think that she had been spending far too much time with Spock as of late — when Amanda giggled.

"You should ask him ' _Uf tor i prah vi' ish-veh sar-tak?'_ And then you _must_ tell me what his reaction is!" Amanda continued to giggle. She had a mischievous glint in her eyes that made Winnie wonder what in the world she was having Winnie ask her son. "I asked Sarek that during the same lesson and it was honestly priceless!"

"Okay, I'll do th—" Winnie trailed off, her gaze rising to see Spock standing in front of her. She found her face turning bright red, wondering just how long he had been standing there. "Spock," she tried to smile, though her embarrassment was overwhelming her.

"Oh! Has Spock returned?" Winnie could hear Amanda's voice from the PADD, but her attention was completely on the man before her. He simply stared down at her, one of his eyebrows rising in question. Win ran her tongue over her lips again, a nervous habit of hers.

"Your, uh… your mother was calling when you walked away… and I was going to tell her that you'd be right back and then we just started talking and I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to intrude or anything, I was just—" Winnie rambled, wishing that she could disappear into the chair she was sitting on. She felt like maybe she had crossed a line.

"Oh, darling, no need to explain it to him. Here, pass the PADD to him," Amanda's voice echoed from the PADD. Winnie's eyes fell back down to the PADD to see Amanda's smiling face and Winnie just nodded. She silently reached out and handed the PADD the Spock, who looked down expressionless towards his mother. "Spock! Look at you; have you been eating properly? I haven't talked to you in so long!"

"Mother," Spock greeted monotonously, "I have been eating adequately." Winnie couldn't help but notice that he seemed somewhat uncomfortable. He met Amanda's enthused questions with blunt answers, even for him. She wondered for a moment if there was a strained relationship there. She hadn't noticed it on Amanda's side, but the way Spock reacted made her think differently now. Or maybe it was just because she was there and had unprofessionally answered his PADD. That could very well have been the case.

"Okay darling, I will let you go. I just wanted to call and check in. You will give me a ring more often, won't you?" Amanda questioned after talking with him for a little while. Spock merely nodded in response. "Good! Now you be nice to that fine young girl you're tutoring! She seems like quite the sweetheart! Alright, well, I love you. You have a wonderful night!"

Winnie watched as Spock hung up. He moved slowly, returning the PADD to the table and lowering himself back down into his seat. She couldn't gauge what he was thinking from the look on his face, which wasn't unusual. After a moment, she decided to risk speaking.

"So, your mom seems nice," she told him.

"Yes," was the only response she got in return. God, she really wanted to disappear. She let out a sigh, running her fingers through her hair.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cross a line or anything, I swear. If… if you want to stop tutoring me, then I totally understand. That was so unprofessional of me. I don't even know what I was thinking. It was such a rash decision, I guess I wasn't really thinking at all! That was a really _Jim_ move that I just made. I am just so sorry—" Winnie cut herself off when she looked back up at Spock, who was staring at her. Her face turned even redder, if at all possible.

"Cadet Kirk," he spoke, although he trailed off for a moment before remedying himself. "Winnifred—" Winnie was somewhat surprised that he had called her by her first name. She had insisted during their first lesson that he refer to her as Winnie, but he wouldn't even seem to call her anything but Cadet Kirk. Even if he was calling her Winnifred instead of Winnie, she felt more at ease. "—there is no need to apologize. I am not upset nor do I wish to stop tutoring you." Winnie felt at ease at his statement and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "Additionally, my mother seemed to have taken a liking to you."

"Do you think so? She really does seem nice!" Winnie grinned widely. Spock only nodded in response, but Winnie felt loads better. All of her anxieties melted away and her happy disposition returned.

* * *

" _Nemaiyo Spock! Ma wuh rom mu-yor!"_ Winnie told Spock with a smile as the two exited the library. The sky had long since turned dark, dim lamps lit the walkways of the campus.

" _Ish-veh nam-tor rai wat, ne-lan,_ " Spock said in response, although he hesitated when Winnie did not move from next to the door. "Do you have somebody to walk you home?" Over the past couple of weeks, the campus had been plagued by some ruffian attacking female cadets. There was an investigation in place trying to find the perpetrator, but unfortunately, they had yet to capture him. It was unwise for female cadets to walk around unaccompanied by another. As they say, there is strength in numbers.

"I do. My brother is coming to pick me up," she told him with another smile. He nodded, although with a glance around he noticed that there was no one in sight. It would seem that her brother had yet to make an appearance. He didn't feel comfortable leaving the younger woman by herself until he arrived. He'd feel responsible if something were to happen to her.

"Would you—" Spock had started after a few moments but was cut off by a brunette man strolling up the stairs towards Winnie at a quick pace, taking the stairs two at a time.

"Your pea-brained brother gave me five minutes notice that he couldn't come walk you back to your dorm," the man grumbled, catching his breath. He glanced at Spock, eyebrows furrowing some as he took in his appearance, but he said nothing to him.

"I'm sorry Bones." Spock couldn't help but think that _Bones_ was such a strange name. Had his parents given it to him? Was that his actual given name? Surely it could not be. And if it was a nickname, how did he receive such a strange nickname. Of course, Spock thought most nicknames were strange when they did not immediately relate to the person's name.

"Don't apologize," Bones told her. His words suggested a harshness that his tone did not reciprocate, "it's Jim's fault. Just give him hell for it the next time you see him." Spock watched as Winnie's grin widened considerably.

"Absolutely, it's what I do best!" She laughed.

"Well, uh, should we get going?"

"Oh, yes!" Winnie exclaimed with a small start. She quickly turned her attention back to Spock and smiled at him. "Thank you, Commander, for waiting with me. I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"It was no problem, Cadet. Do not forget about the essay that is due tomorrow," Spock told her.

"It's already finished," she grinned once more. She moved forward, taking Bones' arm in her own. He grumbled about it, but Spock noticed he made no move to rid himself of the small blonde. His words and his actions did not seem to match up, and to be honest it very much confused Spock. Humans were… odd, this one especially.

"So, what even is Jim doing?" Spock could hear Winnie ask as she and the other man made their way down the stairs and away from him. The last thing he heard came from Bones as he said, "The real question is _who_ is Jim doing" followed by Winnie's snorting laughter.

Spock continued to watch them until they were completely out of view. He wasn't exactly sure why. It was as if something had compelled him to do so. Perhaps part of it was to make sure Winnifred would be alright — despite the fact that she seemed to be in perfectly capable hands. He stood there moments after they had disappeared before he made his way back to his own abode.

 **Later that week**

"So, how was your tutoring session?" Riley asked her roommate as she exited the bathroom. She was attempting to dry her hair with a towel — or at least, try to dry it enough so that it wasn't dripping water everywhere.

"It was good," Winnie told her. The blonde had made herself comfortable on her bed, her book of Vulcan in front of her. "We finished up on asking where people are from, and how to get certain places. Now we're working on things like food and animals and colors and things, that way I can later be able to use them in actual conversations and whatnot."

"That's cool," Riley smiled as she sat down on her bed, abandoning her towel next to her. Her hair was about as dry as she was going to get it by rubbing it with her towel. She would blow dry it, but that was such a hassle. Sometimes she contemplating just cutting all of her hair off. It would definitely be easier to dry then!

"It really is! And Spock is so patient with me, you know? I mean, like, he's pretty patient with everyone in class, but still. It's really nice. I don't think I'd be able to learn it half as well without his help and patience. Of course, I still struggle with some things, but I don't know. It's just different. It's easier with him," Win rambled on. When Riley's eyes narrowed and a smirk appeared on her face, Winnie stopped. She frowned, her eyebrows furrowing.

"What?"

"Nothing," Riley's said. Her smirk, however, implied that it wasn't nothing. Winnie leaned back against her headboard and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Riley Emory Byrn, you tell me why you're smirking right this instant!" She demanded. Riley let out a laugh.

"It's just…" she hesitated, seemingly trying to pick her words wisely, "you seem to really like your instructor."

"Well, I mean, yeah," Winnie said after a moment. She did. She thought Spock was a really good instructor. She learned a lot from him. "He's good at his job," she added.

"Uh-huh, so it seems," Riley giggled.

"What?" Winnie demanded, "He is! And he's… I don't know… a… good person. I mean, he doesn't _have_ to be teaching me Vulcan on his own time, but he is! And he's doing it for free! He is offering me a free service and is doing a damn good job at it too!"

"Yes, that is very nice of him," Riley nodded, "and I bet every time you're around him, you can't help but think of how nice he is. And maybe how nice he… looks or smells?"

"... _What?_ "

"Winnie, the way you go on about Commander Spock… well, I'd say with confidence, that you have a crush on him!"

Winnie was silent for a moment after Riley spoke, taking in what she said. A crush on Spock? What? That was absolutely ridiculous! Just thinking about it… well… _no!_ Of course she didn't! That was… no. "I do not!" She told Riley adamantly.

"Oh, is that why your face is bright red?" Riley questioned. She repositioned herself on her bed, crossing her legs. She looked at her best friend's face, which was considerably flushed.

"I… it… it is not! I am not… I don't have a crush on Spock!" Winnie continued to tell her. She looked down, her hands touching her cheeks as she tried to stop whatever blushing she was apparently doing.

"It's okay to have a crush on him, Winnie," Riley grinned at her friend, "I think it's really cute." Winnie, however, did not think it was cute in the slightest. Did she have a crush on Spock? She did think he was, well, handsome. He was really nice, too. And she really enjoyed being around him and teasing him when she could. And she wanted to learn everything she could about him. But that didn't mean that she had a crush on him! No, absolutely not!

"I don't have a crush on Commander Spock," Winnie told Riley once more, puffing her cheeks out in defiance. She had half a mind to bring up Riley's unspoken crush on Jim, but she wasn't that cruel. Plus, she was a little preoccupied with questioning her own resolve. Her firm denial about her thoughts and feelings on Spock… she was right, wasn't she? Or was Riley right? No, she couldn't be. Not in this.

"Sure, sure, whatever you say, Winnie," Riley giggled as she stood back up from her bed. She grabbed her towel and threw it into her hamper before moving to grab a book off of her desk. She wanted to get some last minute studying in before lights out. Every so often, she would chance a glance at Winnie. She stayed sat on her bed, staring into space, her face red as ever.

 **December 4th, 2256**

"Come on Jim," Riley muttered under her breath as she looked down at her PADD. _2145_ was what the clock read. Jim was already fifteen minutes late, and Riley was getting a little antsy. Her class had ended at 2130 and Jim was supposed to meet her outside of her building to walk her back to her dorm. The man who was attacking female cadets was still out there.

Riley began tapping her foot, not feeling very comfortable waiting around by herself. The path lights were not as bright as she would have liked, leaving her to feel very anxious. There weren't many students around, most having made their way back to their dorms by now. Everyone from her class had left almost immediately after class, traveling in groups. She should have just walked with one of them, but how could she have passed up the chance to walk back to her dorm with Jim? The thought of it sent butterflies to her stomach.

After another ten minutes, Riley decided it was probably just a good idea to start walking back by herself. She felt more comfortable on the move rather than waiting around. She just couldn't believe Jim was so late. She found herself mumbling about it as she walked, half thinking she should call him on her PADD. What could possibly have kept him?

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts as she made her way back to her dorm. She had gotten maybe a couple of feet before she heard footsteps behind her. A sudden feeling of relief washed over her. "It took you long enough," Riley laughed, beginning to turn around, "I thought you weren't going to sh—"

Riley was blindsided as one hand came out and covered her mouth, an arm reaching around her neck from behind and pulling her. Her relief of thinking it was Jim was suddenly replaced by fear over the stranger that was attacking her. She tried to let out a scream, but it was muffled by the hand clasped over her mouth.

The academy tries to prepare you for hand to hand combat and fighting, and Riley had done pretty well in those classes, but it was different when it was in a controlled environment. She hadn't realized her whole body would be paralyzed in fear; that her mind would blank on how to deal with the situation.

As the arm around her neck tightened, Riley's instinct finally kicked in. It was getting harder to breathe, but she began to fight back. She attempted to bite the hand that covered her mouth, and it took her a few tries before she managed to bite hard. The man yelled out in pain, releasing her mouth. The second her mouth was free, she let out a loud scream for help. The man was quick, however, and made to pick her up. He wanted to get her to a more secluded area, away from the buildings.

Riley continued to try and fight, but the man was considerably larger than she was, and it was becoming tiring and useless. She was almost ready to give up when she heard a voice yell out, "Hey! Let her go!" There was that relief again, washing over her. She knew that voice.

Riley's vision had gone somewhat blurry in the struggle, but the next thing she knew was that she was on the ground. She looked up, managing to make out a familiar face wailing on the man who had attacked her. Jim had finally arrived.

"Riley, call the campus police!" Jim yelled out to her, putting the other man into a chokehold. Riley looked around helplessly for her PADD, which had long since fallen out of her grasp. When she had found it, having crawled over to it due to her shaking legs, she flipped it over to the screen. There was a crack along the screen, but she was pleased to see that it still worked.

"Starfleet Academy Police, what is your emergency," a woman appeared on the other side of her PADD. Riley let out a breath before going into what was going on.

"P-please, send someone to Building 1500," her voice was hoarse and her throat hurt considerably. "I've just been attacked… the… the man is… he's being detained… please… please send… help." She hadn't realized she had been crying until her tears hit the screen of the PADD.

"Help is on the way; please remain on the line. Someone will be there very shortly. Are you okay? Miss? Miss? Are you okay…" The woman kept talking, but Riley had since stopped listening. Once she heard help was on its way, she leaned back and took in as deep a breath as she could manage. She tried as best as she could to stop her tears, but it was fruitless. She just couldn't stop crying.

"Riley… Riley… Riley…" A voice was calling out to her and she finally managed to look up. Jim was in front of her. He dropped down to his knees and she looked around through watery eyes. She could see the man who had attacked her being hauled away by the campus police. She was safe… right? She was safe now… Jim had come to her rescue.

"Jim," her voice was rough from crying, barely even audible, "Jim… why were you late?"

"I'm sorry," his voice broke. He had a mixed look of worry, fear, and regret etched on his face. "Shit, I am… I am so sorry Riley. This is all my fault. Oh god." He reached out, gathering the brunette into his arms. He pulled her close to him, holding her tightly as if he didn't want to let her out of his grasp. He had fucked up and he knew it. Had he been any later, there was a chance he might not have been able to save her.

The dam holding back Riley's tears broke once more and she found herself sobbing into Jim's chest, grabbing at him. "I was so scared," she cried, "I was so scared, Jim."

"I know, Riles, I know. I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry." He continued to hold her until one of the paramedics kindly asked if they could examine Riley, to make sure she was okay. It the paramedic asking a few times before Jim relented, afraid to let her out of his arms. He hadn't wanted anything else to happen to her.

After the paramedics checked her out and Riley had calmed down considerably, Jim helped her to her feet. His hand was in hers, holding onto it tightly. He told the paramedics that he would walk her home, and only after Riley gave her nod of approval did the paramedics allow it.

The two walked in silence for a while before Jim finally spoke. "Riley, I'm…" God, all he could do was apologize, but it wasn't enough. He felt it wasn't enough to just apologize. Riley had been in serious trouble, and he felt the blame for all of it.

"Jim," Riley squeezed Jim's hand lightly, "it's okay." Jim stopped in tracks, staring at her. It was okay? What? It was most definitely not okay!

"It's not okay, Riley! I was late for a _very stupid_ reason and you got attacked! If I hadn't shown up when I did, it would have been a lot worse! Riley, this is all my fault!"

"Jim," she said again, her voice soft. Everything about her felt tired — her body, her mind, everything. "You saved me. You came and you saved me." She harbored no ill will towards him.

"But if I had shown up on time, you wouldn't have—"

"Jim," she said a little more firmly this time. She offered him a small smile, moving closer to him this time. She rested her head on his chest, which was the boldest thing she had ever done. "What happened happened. We can't take it back. You came and saved me."

"How are you this calm now?" She could feel his chest vibrate as he spoke and it comforted her completely.

"Honestly? I'm not calm. I'm still… I'm still scared… still…" She let out a sigh, "I'm just tired. I'm tired and… and I think I may be in shock? I…" She had experience with reading up on what happened to people after being attacked, but to have actually experienced it was another thing. Was this what being in shock felt like? Were you supposed to be able to tell if you were in shock or not? That didn't seem right. Maybe she wasn't in shock. But she was tired. So very tired. She just wanted to get back into her dorm and crawl into her bed. Maybe stay there for a couple of days.

"Okay," Jim said quietly after a moment of silence, "Let's get you home. I'll stay with you and Winnie tonight if that's okay."

"I'd like that," Riley told him, her head still resting on his chest and her hand still in his. She'd feel safer if Jim was there. And that way Jim could explain to Winnie what happened so she didn't have to. She could crawl into bed and hide under her covers as the twins argued. Winnie would yell at Jim for having been late — " _What in the hell was more important than picking up Riley, huh? You couldn't have called someone else to walk her home? I swear to god, Jim, at least for me you got Bones to come pick me up! What in the hell were you fucking thinking?"_

" _I was only supposed to be a couple of minutes late! Nothing was supposed to happen—"_

" _But it did Jim! It did! Oh my god."_ And they would continue to argue as Riley fell asleep, somehow comforted by their voices.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_**

 _ **Translations:**_

 _ **K'shatrisu, ha'kel t'du wilat**_ _\- Foreigner, where is your home? (Where are you from?)_

 _ **Uf tor i prah vi' ish-veh sar-tak?**_ _\- How do I get into your bed?_ _ *****_

 _ **Nemaiyo Spock! Ma wuh rom mu-yor!**_ _\- Thank you Spock! Have a good night!  
_ _ **Ish-veh nam-tor rai wat, ne-lan**_ _\- It was no problem, cadet._

 _Look Tooclosefortety, some Spock/Bones interaction! Of course, I wanted to leave it vague, but I have to admit, I loved writing Spock's immediate thoughts on Bones, lol. Also, oh man. What a chapter. It got a bit intense there at the end, huh? Jim feels really shitty for being late, which he should. He's learned a lesson in a very hard way, but I wanted to do this so that maybe he realized just how important Riley is to him (only in a currently friend way, mind you, but still). He's going to be very cautious and protective when around Riley now… and anyone who tries to get near her._

 _ *****_ _Also, Amanda… I just really wanted Winnie to interact with Amanda. And I like to think Amanda is super sweet and kind and soft, but like… she also is a bit mischievous. Idk if she's trying to prank Winnie and Spock or if she's just trying to get her son laid, but either way, oh man. I just love Amanda a lot. ;^;_

 _Random question for you guys (to kind of lighten the mood some!):_

 _What are some of your favorite romance cliches/tropes? I'm personally a sucker for all sorts of cliches and tropes — arranged marriages? hell yeah! forced living together? sign me the fuck up. we have to pretend to date, and now i think i'm falling in love with you? ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY! Unfortunately, none of those work with this fic, but let me know what other tropes or cliches you like! Maybe they'll show up. Alternatively, let me know which ones you absolutely abhor, and maybe I'll take some of those out for the future._ _ **Maybe**_ _. Lol._

 _And again, here's a reminder to follow the tumblr ri-olozhikaik! I_ _ **try**_ _to keep you updated and sometimes I post previews for chapters I'm working on among lots of other things. Also, also, also! I MADE A TRAILER FOR THE FIC? I posted it there, but you can also find it on my youtube xSTARRkey. There are some mild spoilers, but like, not too much? It's very shippy for Spock and Winnie as well as for Jim and Riley. :) I may have also made a Jim and Winnie video too! I just love the siblings too much._

 _(Also, once more because I feel bad, I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE. I'm afraid that's a new pattern of mine. I hope my writing block stays away, but school is starting up again, and I have super duper hard classes, so we'll see. That could either kill my creativity or make it thrive (in a way that means I'd rather write than do homework… but we'll see. And thank you for all of you have stuck with me thus far. I very much appreciate it! xoxo)._


	9. Chapter 9

_**Author's Note:**_

 _Nevermorea: Oh, no no no. I absolutely LOVED your headcanons. Honest to god, I raved about them to my friend for like ever afterwards. They were all so great! xD And Yes! I feel the same. I love the love/hate trope, but I absolutely hate when the transition between "I hate you" and "I love you" is way too sudden. Definitely needs to be built up before they can get to the love! (and don't worry, it was no problem at all!)._

 _mateapejic17: Aw, I'm glad you like it! And I'm also glad to hear that some people are okay with what will be a very minor love triangle. I think Spock and Uhura's relationship is essential to the plot, so that's definitely why I'm keeping it. :) Also, unfortunately, there will still be some time before Spock and Winnie get together. I don't really want to give away when, but we've got a wait. Like I have stated before, I want to build their friendship up first! And I'll try not to make it too long, but I will be covering all of the movies. And as for Amanda, well, I'm afraid I can't honor what you ask. I love Amanda. I love her dearly and that's why I'm showing her now, but I'm afraid her death is going to stay a part of the plot. I'm sorry!_

 _For this chapter, for Riley and Winnie's Valentine's Day Party looks, I redirect you back to Polyvore! My account is_ _ **alilew**_ _, and their outfits are titled_ _ **Winnie &Riley | Valentine's Day**_ _. :)_

 _And just to remind you, there is a reason this fic is rated M. This chapter kind of gets into one aspect of that. So, uh, just forewarning without trying to give anything away._

 _xoxo_

 _(Also, Sara, I cannot wait for you to message me when you're done reading this ;))_

 **San Francisco, February 14, 2257**

"Riley, come on," Winnie whined as she was hurried out of her room, a bag of clothes and other necessities in hand.

"I really have to finish studying today, Winnie, and you are distracting me!" Riley exclaimed, having no sympathy for her best friend and roommate as she stood on the other side of the doorway, looking as pouty as she possibly could. That pout did not work on her, at least not most of the time. It definitely did not work on her today.

"You'll still come to the bar tonight, though, right?" Winnie asked, giving up on being allowed to stay in their dorm to get ready. She knew that studying was important, but so was having fun once in awhile. And she knew that Riley could use a nice break. Today was Valentine's Day and there was a bar right off of campus that was having a little Valentine's Day party of sorts. The twins, Bones, and Riley had all made plans to go and hang out. It was supposed to be fun, even if none of them had dates. Because, really, who needed lame dates anyway?

"Yeah, I'll be there. I promise. Just, up until then, I want to finish studying," Riley reassured the blonde. Winnie let out a sigh.

"Alright, well, if you don't show, I will personally come back here and drag your ass out to the bar, you got that?" Riley just laughed at Winnie's response and nodded. She had no doubts that Winnifred Kirk would march into their room, force some party-esque clothes on her, and then drag her all the way to the bar. She could even picture it happening in her head. "Alright… have fun studying…"

Winnie turned away from her room as Riley closed the door behind her. She hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out what she should do. She could bother Jim for a while and then change in his room. That would probably be the best way to go about it.

Hiking her bag up onto her shoulder, Winnie began her way towards Jim's dorm. Win was pleased with how the weather had turned out. Originally, the forecast had called for rain. Although it was a bit overcast, there didn't seem to be rain in sight. There was a slight chill in the air, but nothing that was too uncomfortable. She just hoped it stayed like this later — or, at least, it stayed like that for the walk to and from the bar that night. Anytime before, after, or in between, the weather could do what it wanted.

The campus was decently busy, but not like that of a weekday. For noon on a Saturday, and Valentine's Day at that, it was no surprise. As Winnie rounded the corner of one of the campus buildings, she found herself stopping dead in her tracks. A couple of yards ahead of her was Spock. She suddenly felt herself becoming very nervous, and her gut reaction was to run and hide somewhere.

It wasn't like Winnie was actively trying to avoid Spock. In fact, they still had their bi-weekly lessons. It was just weird to see him outside of that setting, especially with that seed that Riley had planted in her head. _She had a crush on him._ She tried denying it. She still tried to deny it. It just kept getting harder and harder to do so. Especially when butterflies starting flying about in her stomach when she was near him.

So, if Winnie wasn't actively trying to avoid Spock, why in the heck was she trying to avoid him now? Well, to put simply, she was dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and an old, over-sized Starfleet Academy sweatshirt. Her hair was up in a messy bun and, ultimately, she looked — or at least felt like she looked — like a mess. She hadn't planned on getting ready for at least another couple of hours! And she also hadn't planned on running into Spock! She didn't want him to see her like this!

Winnie thought maybe he wouldn't even see her. He was walking with someone else, chatting with them. Winnie was actually almost positive he would walk right past her without even noticing her. What she didn't account for was the woman he was walking with to recognize her.

"Oh, Spock! Isn't that the girl you tutor? Winnie, right? Winnie, hello!" Winnie's head snapped in the direction of Spock and the woman. She had been trying to keep her head low in hopes to sneak on by. As Spock and the woman got closer, Winnie recognized the woman as well. It was Amanda, Spock's mother.

"Ah, hello," Winnie greeted, smiling somewhat awkwardly. She tried to fix her hair some, making herself more presentable. She hoped her cheeks weren't flushing as badly as she thought they were.

"I am so happy I got to see you during my visit," Amanda smiled. Although she was maybe an inch or so taller than Winnie, she couldn't help but think that Amanda looked small. Maybe it was just because she was standing next to Spock and because Spock was ridiculously tall in comparison.

"I didn't know you were visiting. This is a very pleasant surprise," Winnie said. Her eyes roamed up to the vulcan and she bowed her head somewhat in greeting, "Commander Spock."

"Cadet Kirk," he greeted in return. He said nothing more as Amanda spoke up once more.

"My husband is on planet for business, and I thought it would be a good time to tag along and visit my son," she told Winnie. Winnie's thoughts could help diverting to her own mother. She was off planet at the moment and had mentioned possibly having leave in April or May. Winona had mentioned something about visiting, and Winnie was really looking forward to it. She missed her mama.

"That's really nice. I'm glad I got to see you as well. It's nice to meet you in person this time," Win laughed. Despite how embarrassed she was about her appearance and her _potential_ crush on Spock, she was really happy to finally meet Amanda in person.

"I completely agree," Amanda smiled, "and might I say that you look far more adorable in person." Winnie flushed somewhat as Amanda laughed.

"You're too kind," Winnie managed to get, laughing somewhat herself. She felt she looked far from adorable, but she appreciated Amanda's words all the same.

"Nonsense, I am just stating the truth. Do you have any plans tonight, Winnie?"

"Mother," Spock interrupted, bringing Winnie's attention back to him, "I am sure Cadet Kirk is far too busy for anything you are about to suggest."

"Oh, of course, and it is Valentine's Day, isn't it? Do you have plans with a boyfriend or something?" Winnie's face definitely turned unmistakably red this time. She shook her head rather quickly.

"N-no. I don't… I don't have a boyfriend. I do have plans, though. My brother and some of our friends are going to this bar off of campus. They're having this Valentine's Day themed party thing. Uhm, if either of you wanted to come… you can!" Winnie tried not to look at Spock as she suggested this, but she really hoped that he would go.

"That's so kind of you. I'm afraid I'm actually busy tonight," Amanda told her. Winnie felt somewhat confused at this confession, especially after Amanda had been the one to ask her if she had been busy. Still, maybe she had plans with her husband. "But maybe Spock would want to go. Wouldn't that be fun?"

"I cannot as I have essays that I need to grade tonight," Spock said. Winnie felt her heart sink some. She hadn't really expected him to go, but all the same… it would have been nice.

"That's okay. I just thought I'd extend the invitation," Winnie put on a smile, trying not to show her disappointment. "Still, it was nice to see you."

"You as well," Amanda told her with another smile. Winnie was then caught off guard as Amanda moved forward, taking her hands into her own. "And you must promise me that you will stay in contact. I meet so very few of Spock's friends and it might be nice to speak with another human every once in awhile." She laughed.

"Of course! I'd really like that," Winnie told her, meaning it completely. She liked Amanda. She still thought she seemed really sweet, and she would like to get to know her better. Plus, she was Spock's mother. Getting to know her would feel akin to getting to know him.

"Mother, we should leave now if you still wish to get an early meal," Spock interrupted the women. Amanda smiled, nodding. She held onto Winnie's hands for a moment longer before letting go. Winnie felt a loss of warmth as she did so. She smiled as Amanda wrapped her arms around Spock's arm.

"I cannot wait to hear from you again, Winnie. You have a wonderful Valentine's Day."

"You as well," Winnie told her.

"Cadet," Spock said in a way that meant goodbye. Winnie returned the sentiment,

"Commander." And with that, Spock and Amanda continued on their way, leaving Winnie still reeling from the experience. She put her hands to her cheeks, wondering just how red they had been — and how obvious it had been to either. She stood there for a little while, composing herself before she continued on her way towards Jim's room.

* * *

"Jim!" Winnie banged on Jim's door for like the fifth time. She heard a crash on the other side of the door and then a rush of footsteps. After a moment, Jim cracked the door open a smidge, causing Winnie to narrow her eyes. He was unmistakably in just his boxers, despite him trying to hide that fact.

"What do you need Winnie?" His voice had been just as rushed as his earlier footsteps. He seemed to be in an awful hurry to get rid of her. Winnie frowned.

"I need a place to hang and change before going to the bar tonight," she told him. She had a feeling, however, that Jim's room was not going to be the place where she would be doing that. At this point, though, she wasn't sure she wanted to.

"Uhm," Jim's face scrunched up as if he was contemplating how to say no. Winnie waited, simply to see what he would come up with. "Well. I mean. I would say you could do that here… but, uhm, like… maybe if you come back in an hour… or uh… two?"

Winnie let out a sigh and scratched at her hairline. "God, I am so glad I'm not your roommate," she murmured under her breath. She could only imagine what it was like for Jim's roommate, Mason. He was a rather elusive fellow, always seeming to be pretty adamant about not hanging out with them, but Winnie figured it was because he probably saw enough of Jim for a lifetime. She didn't blame him, honestly. "Look, you go back to doing whatever — sorry, _whoever_ — it is you are doing. I'll go bother Bones."

"Awesome! Thanks, Win, you're the best sister a guy could ever have," Jim grinned at her, but Winnie just shook her head.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just remember that the next time something like this happens," she sighed. The twins said their goodbyes and Winnie found herself making another trek through the campus, this time towards Bones' dorm.

It didn't take her that long to get to Bones' dorm, and thankfully Winnie didn't run into anyone else along the way. She could only handle so much embarrassment in one day. Plus, she had suddenly become paranoid she might run into Gregory or something, and that would have been more of an annoyance than an embarrassment.

Adjusting her bag on her shoulder, Winnie knocked on Bones' door. Luckily for her, she didn't have to wait around as long as when she had knocked on Jim's door. Bones' door opened, revealing a freshly showered and shirtless Leonard McCoy.

"Hello Bones," Winnie grinned at him. Before he could even say hello, she ducked under his arm — which wasn't a hard feat, due to her shortness and his tallness — and into his room.

"Uh, hello," he greeted in return, closing the door and turning around to watch as Winnie made herself comfortable in his room. Winnie had always wondered how he had managed to get a single dorm room, but then, she felt lucky that she had gotten a roommate like Riley. Jim was probably jealous of Bones' set-up, seeing as his extracurricular activities usually meant he needed a room to himself. "Look, I don't aim to sound mean, but why are you here? We don't have plans to meet up for another couple of hours."

"Well, Riley kicked me out because she wants to get some studying in before tonight and apparently I am too distracting. Can you imagine? Me!" She was kidding, of course, knowing full well that she had been distracting Riley a little too much. She hadn't meant to, it just happened. "And then I went to Jim's room to hang out and then later change at, but… well, you know… he was _entertaining_."

"Of course he was," Bones muttered under his breath. He seemed to be about as annoyed with Jim's actions as Winnie was. She hoped he got out of this phase soon because it was getting ridiculous. He was really starting to get a name for himself among the female cadets, and it wasn't particularly a _good_ name.

"So, I came here because, like I said, I need somewhere to hang and get ready at. Actually, I was hoping I could hop in the shower. I feel like a complete mess. Can I?"

"Yeah, go head. There are clean towels in the closet," Bones told her. Even if he had wanted to deny Winnie, he knew it wouldn't have really done anything. He didn't mind, though.

"Thanks, Bones!"

* * *

Bones had been ready for a while. Of course, it wasn't all that hard for him to get ready. He threw on a clean pair of jeans and a dark gray button down shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Once he did that, he was pretty much done. All he needed to do was put his shoes on, but that was really it.

Winnie, on the other hand, had been getting ready _for-ev-er_. She had commandeered his bathroom so that she could change, do her hair, and do her makeup. That had been well over an hour ago. Bones had gotten ready in fifteen minutes.

"Hey Jim," Winnie had phoned her brother while she got ready. She was almost finished, but she just wanted to finish up her makeup.

"What'cha need, Win?" Winnie was looking intensely in the mirror, putting the finishing touches on her lips. She had opted for a simple look, and her glossy pink lips accented that. It was nothing overly complicated or overbearing. Not that she minded looking like that, and she did on most occasions. Tonight, however, she wanted a cute look.

"Can you pick Riley up? She said she was going to study, and I want to make sure she actually comes tonight. She was looking forward to it earlier this week, so I don't want her to miss it," Winnie told him as she straightened up, fixing her skirt before looking down at the PADD that rested on the sink counter in front of her.

"Yeah, of course." Winnie smiled at her brother.

"Thanks, Jimmy. Bones and I will meet you there!" She told him before ending the call. She had considered going to pick Riley up herself, but why not send her brother instead? She hoped it would be a nice surprise for Riley. Either that or Riley was going to strangle her later. She'd risk it, though.

When Winnie was positive she had finished getting ready, she exited the bathroom. Bones swiveled around in his desk chair as she did so. Winnie's usually party attire consisted of all black. It was a color she liked and that looked good on her. Black was often very flattering. Tonight, however, she had decided to wear some more bright colors. So, when she saw the look on Bones' face, she was afraid maybe it wasn't a good choice.

"How do I look?" She asked, suddenly very nervous. Maybe she should have decided to go for her usual instead. She looked down at her own attire, gently fluffing out the light pink tulle skirt that she wore. She still wore some black, of course, such as her crop top, shoes, and her choice of choker. "Does it look bad?"

"No, not at all. You look pretty as a spotted horse in a daisy pasture." Winnie's eyes narrowed at him, trying to figure out if he was being serious or not. It wasn't like Bones to outright compliment her, or anyone for that matter. "Didn't know you could pull it off."

"There's the Leonard McCoy I know," Winnie laughed. She moved forward, grabbing the denim jacket that she had previously laid out on Bones' bed.

"You're even almost average height with those things on your feet," Bones continued to tease her, standing up from his chair. Winnie stuck her tongue out at him childishly.

"Shut up," she laughed again, "are you ready?"

"Darlin' I was ready an hour ago. It was you that took as long as a month of Sundays," Bones told her, slipping on his shoes and tying them up.

"That doesn't even make sense Bones. How could there be a month of Sundays? And why would that be longer than any other day?" Winnie questioned him, causing him to laugh.

"Don't worry about it, you wouldn't understand it anyway," Bones teased her yet again. Winnie frowned, placing her hands on her hips.

"Are you calling me stupid, Mr. McCoy?"

"No, Miss Kirk, if I was calling you stupid I would say that if your brains were leather, you wouldn't have enough to saddle a Junebug," he said with a mock serious look on his face. Winnie shook her head, trying to hide the smile that wanted to form on her face. She reached out and pushed Bones gently.

"You're such an ass," she teased.

"It takes one to know one," he grinned down at her. "Come on, let's head out before Jim and Riley start wondering where we are."

"Alright, but you owe me a drink," she told him as she linked her arm with his. He had gotten used to Winnie doing this and no longer tried to slip his arm out of hers. He didn't mind, really. He was just one to grumble about, well, anything.

"Why in God's name do I owe you a drink?" Winnie just shrugged, a huge grin on her face.

"Why not?"

"You are really something else, Miss Kirk." Bones let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head.

"I know."

* * *

The bar was already packed by the time Bones and Winnie arrived. Between the music, which seemed like a combination of some classical music, current pop, and love songs, and the chatter of the crowd, it was kind of hard to hear anything. So when Bones spoke, Winnie had to ask him to speak louder because she couldn't hear him.

"Do you think Jim and Riley are here yet?" He repeated himself above the din. Winnie chewed the inside of her cheek as her eyes scanned the crowd. If they were here already, it was going to be hard to find them. If they weren't here yet, it would still be hard for either group to find the other.

"I don't know," Winnie finally retorted back to him, "but maybe we should head towards the bar and hope we run into them." Plus, they might as well grab something to drink while they waited.

After agreeing, Bones and Winnie made their way to the bar. It was miraculous that they could find an open spot at all. Bones waved down the bartender as Winnie's eyes scanned the bar to see if maybe Jim and Riley had figured to do the same. Unfortunately, she still couldn't see them. It was possible that she and Bones had gotten here first.

"I'll have a whiskey straight, and start a tab," Bones told the man on the other side of the counter, sliding him his card, "and her drinks are on me tonight."

"What? Bones, I only said one drink, and I was _kidding_ ," Winnie said in surprise. Bones just shrugged.

"Pay me back later then," Bones told her, rather unaffected. Winnie just shook her head. She would make sure to pay him back later because she planned on drinking _a lot_ tonight and she didn't want Bones to have to shoulder both his drinks and her drinks. That didn't seem fair.

"I'll have a whiskey on the rocks please," Winnie finally told the bartender. The man hesitated, looking at her pretty intently before finally speaking.

"ID please." Winnie stood there for a moment, surprised before finally pulling her ID out of the pocket in her denim jacket. She always carried it just in case, but she hadn't thought she would need it tonight. The bartender looked at it for a moment before handing it back to her and walking off to get their drinks.

"Are you kidding me?" Winnie asked as she put her ID back into her jacket pocket, "I am fucking 24 years old."

"It's because you're knee-high to a grasshopper," Bones told her, trying not to smirk.

"You said I looked average height in these heels," Winnie mock whined, causing Bones to laugh. He reached out to grab the drink that the bartender had brought back to them, taking a nice long sip.

"Winnie! Bones!" The two turned around with their drinks in hand to see Jim and Riley making their way towards them. It had been Riley who had called out to them.

"Holy shit. Riley, you look so cute!" Winnie exclaimed, "and I mean that in a sexy way." She laughed, taking in her friend's appearance. Riley was wearing a fitted, low cut pink dress with a leather jacket over-top of it. She looked very good in leather, and Winnie thought she should honestly wear it more often.

"Thanks," Riley blushed, a smile on her face.

"Nice necklace," Winnie added in a low voice when Riley got close, causing Riley to blush even more. She was wearing the galaxy necklace that Jim had gotten her for Christmas a while back. "Did you have a good study-sesh?" She added more loudly this time.

"I did, and now I can drink until I puke without feeling guilty," Riley laughed, trying to divert attention away from the blush on her cheeks.

"Well, get to ordering then! Warning, though, the bartender IDs," Winnie told her as Riley hailed the bartender. When he came, she and Jim both ordered their drinks. Winnie was surprised when he didn't ID either of them.

"What? Why didn't he ID you guys, but he ID'd me?" She asked incredulously.

"I told you, it's because you're short," Bones told her, his glass poised at his lips.

"Aw, little Win-Win getting ID'd. What's it like being shorter than a Keebler elf?" Jim teased his little sister, throwing his arm around her shoulders. The glare that she threw his way could have killed, that was if looks could kill.

"I am average height in these heels!" She complained before pouting.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Whatever you say short stack," Jim grinned, taking his drink as the bartender brought it to him, "whatever helps you sleep at night!"

* * *

A couple of hours in and too many drinks to count later, Winnie was just coming off of the dance floor. She was laughing as she stumbled her way towards Bones, who had made himself home at the bar. He wasn't one for dancing, no matter how many times Winnie or Riley tried to drag him out onto the dance floor.

"Boooones, you are missin' so much fun!" Winnie giggled, grabbing a half empty glass off of the bar. She downed the rest of its contents before turning around to lean against the bar and look back out at the makeshift dance floor that the bar had set-up for that night. Jim and Riley were both still out there, and Winnie grinned as they danced together. It had taken Riley a considerable amount of coaxing (and alcohol) before she allowed herself to dragged out there by Winnie. When the moment struck, she left Riley and Jim to dance by themselves.

"I'm not missing it at all, darlin', I can see just fine from here," Bones told her. Winnie just rolled her eyes. "They look like they're havin' a good time out there." Bones motioned his glass towards Jim and Riley in the crowd.

"Yeah, I'm really hoping a slow song comes on next. I didn't put so much effort on getting them to dance together for them _not_ to play a slow song," Winnie said. Bones let out a chuckle.

"She really is enamored with him," Bones said, "though I can't imagine what she sees in him."

"Me either, although if I did that'd probably weird," Winnie made a disgusted face, "and he's so oblivious to it. He's… what was the sayin'? Leather? Saddles?"

"If brains were leather, he wouldn't have enough to saddle a Junebug," Bones reiterated from earlier that day.

"Yeah! That!" Winnie exclaimed, "He's super smart, but like, also super dumb." She shook her head and took the drink that the bartender had delivered to her. She finished it in one long swig. It was then that a recently released, slow paced love song started playing.

"There you go, Kirk, you got your slow song," Bones told. The two watched Riley and Jim sort of stared at each other for a moment. Riley looked like she was about to walk off the dance floor, her face pinking over slightly. Jim let out a laugh and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to dance. He said something, but neither Bones nor Winnie would make it out from where they stood. Riley had a look of surprise, horror, and happiness all rolled up into one on her face.

"They're too freaking cute," Winnie said, although her voice had lowered considerably. Bones had had a hard time making out what she said. Win let out a sigh, watching all of the couples dancing. "Hey, Bones, I think I'm gonna head out."

"Now?" Leonard questioned, placing his empty glass behind him on the bar.

"Yeah," Winnie didn't elaborate, her eyes still watching the dancers.

"Okay, I'll walk you back." Winnie finally broke her stare to look over at Bones.

"You don't have to do that, I'll be fine," she told him, but Bones shook his head.

"Not a chance." He wasn't about to let his drunk friend walk home by herself. What if someone tried to take advantage of her? Or what if she tripped because of those damn heels she was wearing and hurt herself? He wasn't risking it.

"Alright, I'll go let them know we're leaving and I'll meet you at the door," Winnie told him with a smile. Bones watched as she made her way into the crowd before he started towards the door.

"Hey, guys, Bones and I are heading out. We'll see you later," she told Jim and Riley. She didn't give them enough time to react, fearing that they might end their dance before she left.

* * *

"Y'know what totally sucks?" Winnie slurred as she and Bones finally reached the campus. She had been walking ahead of Bones, but now turned to face him. Walking backward in heels while drunk was not an easy feat, but Winnie somehow managed it.

"What sucks, darlin'?" Bones questioned. He watched her carefully, ready to catch her in the event that she tripped and fell. He kept expecting her to do so. He wasn't sure how women managed to walk around in those things, especially when the heels were so thin and so tall.

"Valentine's Day sucks!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands out. "Really, it does. Like, I've only ever had a boyfriend over Valentine's Day once and it was so underwhelming… and like every other time before and after has sucked too. I mean, is Valentine's Day good for anyone?"

"Not really," Bones told her. Winnie let out a sigh, turning back around and allowing Bones to catch up with her so she was now walking beside him. "Pam and I had a few good Valentine's Days in the beginning, but well, we all know how that turned out," Bones added after a considerable moment of silence. Winnie pursed her lips. Leonard rarely ever talked about his ex-wife. Their divorce had been particularly harsh. As he had said when they first met, she had taken the whole damn planet. And unfortunately, that also included custody over their daughter, Joanna. It was a shame.

"Well, how about this… fuck Valentine's Day!" Winnie announced loudly. Bones laughed while also trying to quiet her. He didn't need campus security coming their way to tell them to quiet down.

"I'll drink to that," Bones chuckled. Winnie's eyes lit up at what he said and she gained an extra pep in her step.

"Do you have more alcohol in your room?"

"I do," Bones told her slowly, wondering if maybe admitting that was a good idea or not.

"Can we go back to your room then? I don't really wanna go back to my room, and plus, I still have my stuff in your room," Winnie told him. She added a pout for extra effect in case he tried to say no.

"Yeah, sure," he agreed after a long pause. They were both considerably drunk at this point, and maybe it wasn't such a good idea to add more alcohol to that, but that was the beauty of being drunk. It meant that they were both still down for putting more alcohol into their body.

"Awesome!" Winnie exclaimed with a giggle. Again, Bones tried to quiet her down. They were almost at his dorm, and the few people that were still out were starting to look their way.

* * *

"So what is it you have?" Winnie asked when they had finally made it into Bones' dorm. Bones had shrugged off his jacket and attempted to throw it over his desk chair. He overshot some and it fell forward onto the seat of the chair. He didn't seem to be bothered by it, though, as he left it. A problem for another day.

He was quick to move, rummaging through his closet as Winnie began to unstrap her shoes. Slipping them off, her feet felt almost instant relief. Although she missed the height that they had given her. Bones was now almost a whole foot taller than her.

"Scotch," he said as he pulled a quarter empty bottle from the closet. Winnie grinned widely and made her way towards him, yanking the bottle out of his hands. "Hey!" She didn't stop before she unscrewed the cap and took a quick swig.

"That's good stuff," she told him as she handed it back to him. She then slipped out of her jacket as well, though allowed it to fall in the general area of her bag. "Also, I _will_ pay you back for the drinks tonight, I promise."

"Don't worry about it darlin'," he told her before he put the bottle to his lips. Winnie just shrugged, suggesting that she'd do it anyway.

Winnie reached up and began to undo her hair from its up-do. Bones watched as her hair fell in waves past her shoulder. She shook it out, feeling more comfortable than she had moments ago. Although, she was mostly looking forward to getting out of her damn bra.

"So, what exactly makes this Valentine's Day shitty for you?" Bones asked after a while, taking another sip of the scotch.

"The guy I like doesn't like me back," Winnie admitted rather quickly as she twirled around. It was the first time she had admitted out loud that she liked Spock. Well, in the terms of what a school-child would describe as _like-like_.

"Your Vulcan instructor, what was his name? Spork?" Winnie paused mid-twirl when Bones said that.

"What?" She asked, her eyes wide, "How'd you know?"

"I ain't stupid, Winnie, come on," Bones told her as he handed her the bottle. She frowned, taking it from him, but not taking a sip.

"Is it that obvious?" She asked, her voice small.

"Not really," he admitted, "I'm just observant." Win let out a small hum before taking a small sip of the scotch.

"He's just so nice… and… he smells _really_ good," Winnie admitted.

"You've smelled Spork?"

"Spock," Winnie corrected him, "and like, not _directly,_ but… like… when I walk next to him, I can smell him." She shrugged and handed the bottle back towards him. She let out a sigh before shaking her head. "But enough of this! I don't like talking about this! It sounds pathetic; let's have some fun!"

"And how d'you plan on doing that?" Bones questioned, eyebrows raised.

"Let's dance!" She told him, reaching out to grab the hand that wasn't holding the bottle of scotch.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, I don't dance," Bones told her, "you know this." Winnie gave her signature pout.

"You're no fun," she whined, but she let go of his hand all the same, "fine, I'll dance by myself."

"There isn't even any music," Bones pointed out as he leaned against the wall, watching as Winnie twirled and jumped about.

"I don't care!" She grinned his way. He let out a low chuckle and shook his head at her antics. She danced around while Bones took another swig from the scotch before placing it down on the desk next to him.

Winnie let out a small squeak as she lost her footing. Despite being drunk, Bones was quick on his feet. He rushed forward, grabbing a hold of her. One hand caught her around her waist and the other held onto one of her hands. Winnie pursed her lips, looking up at him.

"And you said you don't dance," she said, her voice somewhat quiet.

"I don't," he told her, "I was just making sure you didn't fall on your ass."

"What a knight in shining armor," she teased, a small smile on her lips. Bones just shook his head, laughter in his eyes. Winnie began to sway, initiating a slow dance. Bones had half a mind to let go of her, but he didn't. He allowed himself to sway with her.

"That's me," he said, "ever the hero." Winnie nodded, giggling as they danced. She allowed for silence to wash over them, just swaying there with Bones. It was only after maybe ten minutes that Winnie finally spoke up again.

"Y'know," she said, "I've kinda been wondering something."

"What's that, darlin'?" Bones asked. He was so close, she could smell the alcohol on him. Or maybe she was just smelling it on herself. Win bit her lip, looking forward into Bones' chest instead of up at him.

"Nevermind," she shook her head after a moment.

"No, what is it?" He asked again. Winnie pursed her lips before taking in a deep breath. She allowed the alcohol she had previously consumed to work as some sort of liquid courage.

"I've wondered…" she stated, running her tongue over her lips. She hesitated before looking up at him. He was already looking down at her, curiosity written all over his face. "I've wondered… what this would feel like." With that, Winnie leaned up and pressed her lips to his.

It was a simple and soft kiss. Although Bones hadn't moved away, it had taken him by surprise. The two had stopped swaying and Winnie pulled away some, a soft and curious hum on her lips. Bones found himself not wanting her to and her name was on his lips formed as a question.

"Winnie?"

Winnie smiled softly as she examined his face, eyes falling back to his lips. "Leo?" She mimicked his tone. It wasn't as if Winnie never called him by his first name or even called him by that nickname, but it sounded different now. Bones found himself leaning into her as she said it.

"This isn't…"

"Leo," she said his name again and he took in a sharp breath. She was biting her bottom lip now and he couldn't take his eyes off of her mouth. He gulped. He was drunk. She was drunk. Part of him knew this wasn't a good idea. A very small part of him was trying to rationalize with himself that this was not something he should be doing or thinking… but _fuck_.

"Winnie I don't think…" he tried again.

"It's Valentine's Day and we're both alone," she told him, "I don't want that, Bones. I don't want to be alone right now." He continued to stare down at her but said nothing more. When he didn't, she spoke again. "Kiss me."

And he did.

Bones' arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer against him now. His fingers splayed out on the exposed areas of her back, moving upwards until his fingers were tangled in her hair.

"Leo," Winnie's voice was breathless as she parted from the kiss for a second. Bones let out a growl. She had to stop saying his name like that.

Winnie's hands found the edges of his shirt, tugging it upwards. Bones complied, allowing it to be pulled over his head. She ran her fingers lightly over his chest. Bones' breath hitched as she followed the light touches with small kisses.

" _Shit_ ," he exclaimed in a similar breathless manner. Maybe he wouldn't have been so affected if he hadn't been so drunk or maybe if it hadn't been _so damn long_ since he had felt the touch of a woman.

Winnie was tugging him now, hands on his hips as she pushed him back towards the bed. She pushed him forward, falling on top of him. She looked down at him and her breath hitched as his hands found their way under her skirt, holding onto her bare legs. She smiled as he let out a small moan when she rolled her hips.

When she did it again, Bones couldn't help himself. He held her tightly and swapped positions so that he was now hovering over her. She stared up at him with wide green eyes before dissolving into a moan when he pressed his lips to her neck.

"Leo," she said again.

"You have to stop doing that darlin'," he growled, his lips finding her collarbone. He heard her giggle before doing it yet again.

"Leo," this time she drug it out. He let out a groan, his forehead resting on her chest.

"Winnifred, I swear to God, I'm gonna—"

"What?" She cut him off. He lifted his head so that he could look down at her. She had a smirk on her face. "What are you going to do… _Leo_?"

Bones' lips crashed back onto hers roughly. She let out a hum of surprise before returning his kiss. Their kisses became more urgent, more desperate. Bones' hands began to roam, tugging at her top. It was her time to comply, allowing it to be tossed somewhere into the dim room. She was more impressed, however, with his ability to undo her bra with only one hand. She was about to tell him just how impressed she had been when his mouth found her breast. She was at a loss for words.

" _Fuck me,_ " was all she could manage, surprised at the way he worked his tongue.

"I'm getting there darlin'," Bones told her, his hands moving lower. Winnie let out a mixture of a laugh and a moan. It was starting to become harder to talk… harder to even think. She let her instincts take over and allowed herself to completely give into the pleasures of the flesh.

 **February 15, 2257**

When Leonard McCoy woke up on the morning of February 15th, the first thing he realized was that he felt like complete and utter shit. His mouth was dry, he had a horrible headache, the sunlight streaming in through his window was far too bright, and his whole body felt incredibly sore. Honestly, he felt like death and it had been a long time since he had had a hangover quite this bad.

The second thing Bones realized was that his arms were wrapped around another and someone's hair was in his face. Squinting due to the bright light of the sun, he barely could make out the other person in bed with him. He couldn't really remember the night before, but when he noticed the mass of blonde hair followed by the small form in his arms, he felt his stomach drop.

 _It was Winnie._

Flashes of the night before ran through his head — only small glimpses really. He remembered bringing her back to his dorm on her behest. He remembered them dancing. He also remembered a little of what had conspired between the two of them. _Shit_.

Slowly, Bones removed his arms from around Winnie. He hadn't wanted to wake her up. He wasn't ready to wake her up. He needed to panic a bit before he could deal with this situation. _He had slept with Winnie!_

Bones hesitated some as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Winnie had moved, but it hadn't seemed like she had woken up. She made a small noise and buried her head further into the pillow. Bones let out a sigh of relief before standing. He bent down to grab some of his clothes off of the floor, carefully avoiding any of Winnie's… uh… unmentionables.

Once dressed, he began pacing. His hands found his head, racking his brain on what the hell to do. He hadn't meant to sleep with Winnie! He really hadn't. Hell, he hadn't even thought about it! _Shit. Fuck. Holy fucking hell._

Bones nearly jumped ten feet in the air when his PADD went off. He felt like he was going to vomit when he saw how was calling — or maybe it was just from all the alcohol he had had last night. In any case, Bones quickly grabbed his PADD and locked himself away in the bathroom. He still didn't want to wake Winnie up, and he definitely didn't want to wake her up while he was talking on the PADD.

"Jim, hey," his voice was hoarse and the thought he really needed a drink. Water, not alcohol. He felt dehydrated. Dehydrated and panicking. What a good combination.

"Geez Bones, you look worse for wear. Have a good night, huh?" Jim laughed at the look at his best friend.

"What? No!" Bones exclaimed as if Jim could possibly know what had happened the night before. Hell, if he had known, Bones would have been dead by now. He felt sick again, vehemently not wanting Jim to know what had happened.

"Calm down McCoy, I was just kidding," Jim laughed again, "Hey, I'm actually calling because I was wondering if you had seen Winnie. Riley called saying that she apparently hadn't come home last night. I know she left with you, so I figured you might know where she was." _Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._

"Uh, yeah," _yeah she's sleeping in my bed,_ _ **naked**_ _,_ "we came back to my room because she left her stuff here. We were both pretty drunk so she, uh, stayed the night." That was innocent enough. It wasn't like they hadn't all bunked in each other's rooms before. It wasn't anything new. Still, he felt like Jim could see right through him. He was starting to get really paranoid.

"Ah, so that's why you look like shit. She make you sleep on the floor, huh?"

"Yeah," Bones let out a small chuckle. He felt somewhat relieved when Jim seemed to buy it. There really wasn't any reason for him not to. Jim continued on with some small talk, but Bones wasn't really into it. He just went through the motions until Jim finally said his goodbyes and hung up. Bones stayed in the bathroom for god knows how much longer, his hands braced on the bathroom sink. He wasn't sure if he was going to vomit or pass out. Either seemed like a good option.

When neither happened, Leonard made his way out the bathroom. Winnie was still in the same position on the bed. She was lying facing away from him, her face buried in the pillow. His sheets were draped over her, one arm overtop of them. His eyes fell on her upper back, bare to him. Images from last night flashed through his head again. What in the hell was he supposed to do?

"Was that Jim?" When Winnie spoke, Leonard felt like he was going to have a heart attack. He had thought she was still asleep! He watched her as she rolled over in bed and sat up, holding the sheet close to her body. She didn't seem as panicked as he had felt.

"Yeah," was all Bones could manage. Winnie nodded, one of her hands reach up to run through her hair. She still had a look of sleep about her and she let out a yawn before speaking up again.

"Did you say anything about what happened?" Had he _what_? Did she really think he would have said anything to _Jim_ of all people about what had happened?

"What, you think I only have one oar in the water? Come on," he exclaimed with a frown. Winnie just smiled and let out a small laugh.

"Alright, sorry," she chuckled. Bones took in a breath, wondering if they should talk about what had happened.

"Look, I think… maybe we should address the elephant in the room—"

"What, that we slept together?" Bones was honestly surprised by her casualness with the subject. Was he the only one panicking? There was a good reason to panic, wasn't there? Not only had he slept with a really good friend — and was absolutely terrified that that friendship might be ruined because of it — but he had also slept with his best friend's sister. That was like seriously crossing some boundaries. Boundaries he hadn't ever planned to cross. That was Jim's area. Thank god Bones didn't have a sister.

"Yeah, that." His voice had fallen flat. Winnie examined his face, not saying anything for what seemed like forever. She straightened up, still holding the sheet close to her body, and made a face that suggested _okay, go for it_.

"What exactly is there to say, Bones?"

"We… we…" He couldn't find himself to say it out loud.

"Slept together," Winnie finished the sentence for him.

"Yeah."

"And? We were both really drunk," she said, "And as I recall, it had been awhile since either of us had gotten laid." Winnie shrugged. Bones ran his fingers through his hair.

"You say it so casually as if sleeping with a good friend is nothing."

"Well, it's not like I make a habit of it or anything, but it happened. I don't know what else to tell you." There really wasn't anything else she could say about it. Bones knew it was true, but it still felt… _weird._ What if this changed everything?

When he didn't say anything, Winnie patted the spot on the bed in front of her. Hesitantly, Bones moved forward and lowered himself onto the bed, facing her. She examined his face again, one hand reaching out to cradle his face. She couldn't help but think about the feeling of his stubble against her soft hand. Winnie smiled some before she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his. After a moment, she pulled away and examined his face yet again.

"Did you feel anything?" She asked him. He stared at her for a moment, considering what to say. Neither option seemed like a good thing to say, but he had to pick one. He opted for the truth.

"No," Bones admitted. Winnie just smiled again.

"Me neither. I don't think we have to worry about anything. We slept together, yes, but nothing is going to change between us," Winnie told him, lowering her hand from his face. There was a feeling of relief from both parties. Winnie then gathered the sheet around her and hopped off of the bed.

"Also, just, _wow_. I guess I should have known, you being a surgeon and all that, but _damn…_ you really know how to work your fingers," Winnie laughed, throwing a wink Bones' way. He couldn't help but shake his head, chuckling now. The panic he had felt earlier was starting to subside. "You're a really good lay, _Leo._ "

Bones let out a groan this time, falling forward onto his bed and hiding his face. "Don't make this any more awkward than it already is Winnie," his voice was muffled by his mattress. He heard Winnie laugh before the door to the bathroom closed.

He stayed like that for a while before he finally sat up, running his hands over his face. His eyes found their way to Winnie as she came out of the bathroom, dressed in the sweats she had been wearing the day before when she first arrived at his room. She tossed his sheet his way and he was half heartedly caught it.

"What do we do about the others?" Bones asked then. Winnie pursed her lips, picking up her clothes from the night before.

"We don't do anything," she told him, "it's not like they're going to be able to tell. The only way they're going to find out is if we tell them, and I have absolutely no plans on doing that. Do you?"

"Not if I value my life," Bones murmured, causing Winnie to laugh again.

"Look, Bones," she said after a moment, moving over to him. She stood between his legs, looking down at him with a smile. "This is one of those moments that… that we just don't talk about. But I don't mean that in a mean way, you know? It's just… I don't know. But it's also not something that we just forget about because it _did_ happen. And it's fine." Win leaned down and pressed her lips to his forehead before moving away from him and grabbing her bag.

"And hey, Leonard?" She turned back towards him, "You ever need to get some relief again, you know where to find me." She threw another wink his way. Bones shook his head, laughing once more. He couldn't help but think, maybe in another universe, this might have worked out in a romantic way, but it was okay that it didn't here.

"Get on outta here," he told her while still laughing. She smiled and saluted him.

"Aye, aye Captain!" And with that Bones was left alone in his room. He fell back onto his bed, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. _Jesus Christ._ He was going to avoid alcohol for a _very long time_.

* * *

Winnie let out a yawn as she made her way towards her dorm. She felt like crap. The hangover was starting to hit her and all she wanted to do was crawl into her bed and sleep for days. First, though, she had to make it there.

"Cadet Kirk." Winnie was caught off guard when she heard a familiar voice. She turned to the side, her eyes widening as Spock came to a stop next to her.

"Commander Spock," her voice cracked. She cleared her throat, hoping that he hadn't noticed. If he had, he didn't make it known.

"You look a little ill, are you feeling alright?" All the confidence she had had earlier when talking with Bones was gone. She felt very nervous. She felt there was something sort of funny about that. She hadn't been nervous when she talked to Bones about them freaking sleeping together but put her in front of Commander Spock and she became a wreck.

"I'm fine. I just… had a rough night," she told him, a small smile gracing her face for a moment.

"I see," Spock said, "Well, I just wanted to tell you that my mother was very pleased with seeing you yesterday. She insisted I give you this." Spock held out a piece of paper. Winnie took it and Spock told her it was her number. She seemed very adamant about actually staying in contact.

"Oh, thank you," she told him, looking down at the number before putting it in her pocket.

"I am sorry if it seems too forward of her, but she is only human." Winnie laughed, which confused Spock some.

"It's okay, Spock, really. I'm only human too, and I enjoy speaking with your mother." Spock nodded.

"Commander Spock!" A voice called out from behind Spock. Spock turned some and Winnie looked passed him to see Uhura making her way towards them.

"Excuse me, it seems that I am needed," Spock turned back to Winnie for a second. He bowed his head, "Have a wonderful day, Winnifred, I hope you feel better."

Winnie watched as Spock met up with Uhura. They stopped, speaking for a moment, before walking off together. There was something about it that made Winnie's stomach fall, although she honestly couldn't really place it. Was she… jealous? No, she couldn't be. And why would she be jealous? There wasn't anything to be jealous of as far as she was aware.

Shaking her head, Winnie continued on her way back to her dorm. It was a relief when the door slid open. She made a beeline for her bed, dropping her bag just before she reached it.

"There you are," Riley said from her own bed. She was sitting with her back against her headboard, drinking a mug of something. Winnie assumed it was tea, probably something to help whatever hangover symptoms Riley was feeling.

Winnie let out a groan as she fell onto her bed. "I am _so hungover_ ," she told her best friend. Riley laughed.

"I feel you. I woke up feeling like shit," Riley said.

"Jimmy didn't stay here with you or anything?" Winnie asked, a smirk on her face.

Riley's face turned red instantly. "What? No, why would he?" Winnie laughed, crawling under her covers.

"Just wondering, you guys were getting pretty cozy during that slow song last night," Winnie teased. Riley hid her face with her mug, her lips pursed against the warmth of it.

"It wasn't like that," she said softly before shaking her head of whatever she was thinking. She lowered her mug, turning back to her friend and asking, "So you stayed at Bones last night?"

"Yeah," Winnie told her, turning her head so that she was facing the brunette. She allowed Riley to change the subject. She didn't want to embarrass her any further.

"It's like you just did the walk of shame without any shame," Riley commented, laughing. Winnie smiled, laughing along with her.

"Yeah, right?" She chuckled. She couldn't help but think _if only she knew_.

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _Wow. So, uh._ _ **That happened.**_ _Lol, I've actually had this planned for like… a year now. I always planned to have Bones and Winnie close and then one day I thought, "Shit, what if they had actually slept together once… or maybe a few times" and then I came up with this. I didn't want them to be in like a relationship or anything, because while they love each other, it's nothing like that. I figured if they ever did get together, it would be more of a casual thing than anything else and yeah. So, here we go. And like Bones thought, maybe in another universe (and not the original universe mind you) they might have gotten together romantically, but it's not really destined for them. Winnie's got someone else in her future. But there are no hard feelings between the two in the slightest. Also, let's all appreciate Bones' mild panic as he realizes he had sex with Winnie and her twin brother is currently calling him on his PADD. xD_

 _Also, also, can we please appreciate that this chapter is_ _9256_ _words long! It totally blows my Christmas chapter out of the water. Damn. And I'm also kind of surprised at how quickly I churned this out. Well, we've got three more chapters of the academy days and then we're back to the movie! I can't wait, honestly. I hope my inspiration doesn't make me take forever to write the next couple of chapters._

 _(And in case you couldn't tell, I found a site of sayings for Bones. Fingers crossed he sounded more in-character this chapter and for chapters to come!)_

 _There's no question at the end of this fic, and the only other thing I have left to say is: thank you to everyone who reads, favorites, follows, and reviews! I love you guys._

 _xoxo_


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